Negawarrior
by jimra
Summary: This time, Ranma didn't get away with beating Shampoo and just leaving so easily, but someone comes to her rescue. A BSSM Xover. Welcome to Part 1 of Trials by Fire!
1. Prologue: Dusk

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon Crossover fanfic by jimra

If you want to sue me for royalties, I'll be happy to give you 100% of my profits from this project.

Prologue: Dusk

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Two were running from fifty. The pair of fugitives, one clad in a once-white gi and the other in only fur, fled before a mob of women in rural Chinese dress, all brandishing some manner of wicked-looking weapon and most also wearing exotic, Chinese armor made of bamboo and metal. Occasionally, an arrow or javelin would fly from the mob, narrowly missing fleeing duo. At the head of the mob, a warrior with deep violet hair raised her bonbori and shouted an undulating war cry in Mandarin, and the mob increased in speed at her savage call, slowly gaining on their enemy.

Above all of this, a single man watched.

Clad in a grey, uniform-like suit, the man gently brushed a lock of long, curly brown hair from his face. He floated a good hundred meters above the chase, and no one had noticed his presence, so high above the pandemonium of the mobile combat. His pale bishonen face twisted into a grimace as another javelin was launched at the fleeing pair. The anger increased as the red-haired, gi-clad girl had to jump to avoid the barbed blade.

The floating man had watched this episode from the beginning, and his fury toward the pursuing mob was fueled even more by the way this whole thing started, completely nonsensical in his opinion. Thinking back, he sifted through his memories of the beginning of the chase.

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"I realize that you have been imprisoned for quite a while," intoned the queen, her alabaster face curling into a smile that would have been beautiful had one not seen the cruelty in it. "All of you: go see how Terra has fared since we were last there."

"Yes, my queen," the four kneeling figures before the red-haired queen answered simultaneously, and each moved to explore.

White hair twirling around him as he stood, the tallest figure of the four vanished in a flash of dark power followed shortly by a second very bishonen figure with blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, his illusory sakura petals swirling briefly through the air. The third individual, with his chiseled features and short blonde hair, simply walked away into the darkness of the throne room. Finally, a man with long, curly brown hair bowed his head for a moment, considering where he would go.

"You have a question?" asked the queen.

"No, my queen," the figure answered. "I was only considering where I could go to learn the most in the shortest time."

"Do not concern yourself with time," replied the red-haired queen. "I believe that we will require some time to muster our forces before we can begin our conquest once again."

The grey-clad man nodded to his queen before bowing and vanishing in a wave of dark power. Having been sealed away so long, the man had no drained lifeforce to combine with negaforce to fuel his powers, so he felt the sweet agony of sacrificing some of his own lifeforce to transport himself to a random location on Terra through nul-space and the now-broken seal.

The dark general knelt for a moment, allowing the damage from his sacrifice to heal before taking stock of his location. He was in a mountainous, but forested, region full of life. 'Too bad these creatures have so little lifeforce,' he thought ruefully, glancing about the area. 'I can't use them to recharge. I'll have to find some humans.'

Before moving on, the negawarrior checked the small, nearly indestructible mirror he used to draw negaforce from the Negaverse. Even though the small, silver shard was probably harder to destroy than he himself was due to the myriad constructs ensuring its safety, checking it was a habit he was unwilling and unable to break. Seeing it intact yet again, the long-haired man set off on foot.

The forest was very beautiful; indeed, it was a testament to the beauty of Terra. However, this was all but lost on him. For reasons not fully understood even during the Silver Millennium, the lifeforce of any creature, no matter how large, was almost nil unless it was sentient, and the ambient lifeforce of a planet was very similar. Unless there was will, spirit, driving that lifeforce, neither a negawarrior nor a sorcerer could use it to fuel their respective powers because, like a flame deprived of oxygen, the lifeforce was a weak, flickering thing. He was searching for intelligent life, and before long, the dark general found it.

"...chei-wha? What kind of food is that?" asked a low soprano voice.

The brown-haired man ducked into some bushes as the source of the voice came into view; she was a short redhead wearing a martial arts gi. Next to her, a panda and a fat, green-uniformed man walked. From her movement, the negawarrior could tell that she carried herself like a warrior, but it was obvious that she hadn't had anything to eat in some time, and it was apparent from the pack on her back and the travel stains on her white, robe-like clothing that they had come quite a distance.

"Sir," answered the fat man in a heavily accented voice, and the dark general wondered why the man addressed the obviously female redhead as a man. "Is village of amazon womans: Joketsuzoku."

Briefly invoking a sensory construct and feeling the pain of siphoning off more of his own lifeforce for fuel, the negawarrior scanned the trio, and he almost lost the construct in surprise at what he saw. The green-clad man was as expected: a normal lifeforce, but the redhead was another matter. To his construct-enhanced eyes, the girl flared with the same amount of lifeforce that at least four people would have, and the panda, to his intense astonishment, looked to have the same. At this unlikely turn of events, the grey-uniformed man decided to follow the strange threesome rather than drain them; maybe they would lead him to a village where he could acquire a renewable source of lifeforce to fuel his powers, and that would be better than a quick refill of his reserves. Cutting the flow of power to the sensory construct, he followed at a discreet distance, making sure to keep out of sight, the fat man in his green uniform leading his two known guests and one unknown shadow down gullies and small trails through the rugged mountains.

As they walked, the dark general continued to listen to the entreats of the hungry redhead for food and the growfs of her strange pet panda, but somehow, he didn't find the sounds of complaint particularly offensive, and the man watched the pigtailed girl closely. From her walk, he knew her to be a fighter of some skill, even hungry as she was, and the panda moved in a very anthropomorphic manner, almost leading the dark general to believe it had once been human when added to its immense lifeforce. Though rare, there were some sorceries and mana-based magics in the Silver Millennium that had polymorphic effects, and while he doubted that anyone of this era would know of such forbidden powers, it was certainly possible that such was the case. Finally, as the trio and its unknown shadow crested a final rise, the village the fat one referred to came into view.

Small and ramshackle, the village of the amazons was nothing special to his warrior-trained eyes, but that was before he invoked the sensory constructs he'd used on the threesome. Eyes widening, the Dark Kingdom general saw more lifeforce in the small village than he'd seen in some of Terra's mid-sized cities during the Silver Millennium, and with a tremor that he could identify as either apprehension or excitement, the brown-haired negawarrior began to consider the possibility that most humans on Terra now had such lifeforces. That could be a boon to the invasion in harvesting, but if these people knew how to use that power, he had no doubt that the Dark Kingdom was in for a long, arduous, and bitter battle when it attacked. The dark general would have continued down that line of thinking, but the fat man's voice cut through his thoughts before he could continue pondering the enigma, for good or ill to his cause.

"Is very lucky, sirs," he said enthusiastically, smiling widely. "Today womans have tournament. Is very rare."

Sure enough, a crowd of people, mostly female, stood around a log, suspended in the air by four sturdy chains attached to great poles driven deep into the earth, and even as he watched, the negawarrior saw a young, purple-haired girl use a strange, multicolored mace to knock another woman from the log. Her lifeforce, like the redhead's and so many more of the village's inhabitants, was inordinately strong, and his thoughts returned to their invasion. If they were to attack this place and drain it, there would be more than enough lifeforce to secure Terra...assuming that the youma the Dark Kingdom could transport survived fighters of this caliber when they attacked. It certainly seemed that they knew ways of manipulating their lifeforces for attack and defense, and the dark general paled at the thought of all, or even the majority of, humans on Terra having this kind of power.

Considering his lack of reserves at that moment, the negawarrior crept away as the three he'd been following joined the crowd and sat down to watch the tournament. The brown-haired general walked into the village proper searching for prey, creeping from shadowed alley to sheltered corner to avoid detection, and soon he spotted a lone young woman carrying a basket of food toward the tournament grounds. Without warning, the dark general leapt at from behind a hut and brought his fist down on the back of the woman's neck, dropping her like a stone with negaforce-enhanced strength drawn from his own lifeforce. Thankfully, he did catch the amazon by surprise, and his assessment of her lifeforce and skill from his brief observation made it clear that it would have been quite a struggle if he hadn't managed to drop her with a single, unexpected blow.

Quickly, the negawarrior knelt beside his prey and placed his hands on her back, invoking the simplest of negaforce constructs, one intended to draw lifeforce from a victim into his reserves. After nearly five thousand years without, the feeling of lifeforce flowing into his reserves was almost enough to make him collapse. In fact, the woman had an astonishing amount of energy, even more than he'd expected from the sensory construct, and the dark general was amazed, as he replenished not quite a quarter of his reserves as he cut off the draining construct. He had forgotten how wonderful it felt to draw in the life, but as pleasurable as it was, he still managed to stop draining the woman before she was in any danger of dying.

Unlike two of his fellow generals and the queen, who thought nothing of killing to gain an extra boost of lifeforce from their victims, the brown-haired general refused to kill without good reason. Not even the general knew why, and Metallia knew that it caused him no end of trouble with the other generals. Only one of his fellow generals felt the same as he; it simply was something he would not do.

With his reserves somewhat replenished, the man decided to return to the tournament, and he arrived just in time to see that same girl with long, violet hair fly off the challenge log. It took him a moment to realize that she was launched into the air by an axe-kick from the girl he'd followed to the village, and a moment later, the referee of the tournament raised the redhead's arm to officially name her the victor.

The negawarrior smirked. He'd had a feeling that the girl was good, and this only affirmed that feeling. For some reason, the dark general had taken an instant liking to the cute, strangely clothed girl. Then, the dark general's smirk fell as the violet-haired girl walked up to the redhead and kissed her gently on the cheek. He noticed the fat man sneak away as the native girl drew another of her strange, multicolored maces and attacked.

The pigtailed girl parried the first strike and almost counterattacked when another woman from the village attacked with a spear, and then another with a strange, spiked polearm. It was all the girl could do to dodge all the attacks, and finally, she leapt high into the air, jumping over her attackers' heads. The redhead started running from her numerically superior foe, her panda following at her heels before the forming mob of women.

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For no good reason the negawarrior could discern, the entire village was trying to kill the red-haired girl and her panda, and the girl could hardly hope to defeat fifty at once no matter how good she was. Coming to a decision after watching the chase for nearly ten minutes, the brown-haired man flew toward the scene. However, before he could reach the fleeing twosome, another arrow lanced from the pursuers at the pair. Unfortunately for them, this one was better aimed than most, and the panda fell forward with a grunt, the barbed arrow protruding from its back and blood spraying from the wound. As a long-time soldier, the dark general knew a severed artery as well as any field medic, even if it had been more than twenty millennia since he'd seen any wounded from the Universe, and he knew that there was little to no chance that the panda would survive without the healing magic so prolific during the Silver Millennium.

The girl screamed as she heard the animal grunt, and tears flowed from her eyes when she saw the downed panda. Obviously filled with pain and grief over the dying animal, she dropped into a combat stance and waited for the mob, a frenzied, nearly suicidal look coming to her eyes.

Sheer rage at both the approaching amazons and at the redhead's suicidal stand contorted the negawarrior's face as the mob reached the girl, and he launched a bolt of black energy into the mob, killing about ten in the dark explosion of power and tossing more into the air with the concussion. After that energy blast, he'd nearly depleted the lifeforce reserve he'd drained from the single woman in the village, but it did the trick. Funneling the last of his reserves into a menacing black aura around his form, obscuring his features in the process, he faced the surprised mob. Seeing what they obviously believed to be a daemon that could kill many with a single blast, most fled.

What few that remained were fighting the redhead, but if he looked like a daemon, she fought like one. With no regard for her own well-being, the pigtailed girl threw herself at her opponents, and one by one, they died at her hands. The whirling dance of death that was the redhead swept through the amazons, and some fell with their own weapons buried in their chests or necks and others from simple, straightforward bludgeoning. Despite the death and pain involved, the dark general was stunned by the beauty and grace the teenager displayed in her fight; few warriors the dark general had ever seen moved so smoothly in combat.

Finally, her last amazonian opponent dead, the girl turned toward the negawarrior, her teeth clenched in a snarl and a frenzied light in her eyes. For a moment, the dark general thought the girl would attack him, but after a moment, the feral look she'd had for the fight shattered as she fell to her knees, crying amongst the dead.

The brown-haired man stood quietly as the girl cried; there was nothing he could do to help when it came to emotional distress, as he'd learned so long ago. Finally, after nearly an hour in tears, the girl stood and walked to the panda. Kneeling next to the dead animal, she whispered what could only be a brief prayer for the animal, her murmuring voice sounding like pain itself, though he could not understand her words.

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The red-haired girl knelt next to the body of her father, shock still predominating her mind as she said a short Shinto prayer for his spirit. The body of a panda seemed so wrong for her father's end, and it seemed strange to her that such thoughts would be the only thing that could penetrate her stunned mind. The martial artist knew that the wound was fatal when she saw her father fall, and she'd been ready to sacrifice her own life to avenge him. She was good, certainly, but the redhead knew that she wasn't good enough to beat fifty armed and skilled fighters, and she fully expected her facing the mob to be suicide. Of course, that brought her back to the stranger who'd helped her, and whether or not she wanted to live right now, she had to thank him for his help.

From the corner of her eye, the pigtailed teen could see the man waiting patiently for her to finish her last respects, and that meant a lot to the red-haired girl. Finally having recovered enough to speak, she stood from her place beside her father's body and approached the stranger.

"Thank you for your help," she said in a somewhat weak voice, the voice of one still in shock, she recognized dimly. "I would have died without it."

The man smiled slightly, a smile that said that he knew what she was going through and sympathized, and said, "Don't worry about it. My name is Nephrite."

"I'm Saotome Ranma," the girl replied.

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Author's notes:

Since this is a rewrite, I'm certain that many people will see some differences, but they are minor beyond moving certain events to a later part. The biggest change will be for Chapter One, as I will be adding a great deal more content and splitting it into two parts. This rewrite only covers from the Prologue to the end of Chapter 1 (for now), so don't worry about waiting forever on new stuff. I'll get Chapter 3 Part 5 out as soon as possible.

As always, I want to thank my prereaders for their excellent advice and proofreading skills. Later.

Second Rewrite Notes:

I've been getting a great deal of good advice from Larry F, the webmaster at the Lost Library of Florestica, since he agreed to give me a spot on his website, and that is what sparked this second rewrite. I hope everyone enjoys it.

Third Rewrite Notes:

It's been a long time since I've gotten to write anything, because I've been in school full time and working full time. It's a lot of work and doesn't leave me with much free time. However, I've realized that I've really missed writing, and this rewrite is also my way of refamiliarizing myself with the story so far. I hope to have something similar to regular updates now; I will finish writing Chapter 3 Part 6 as soon as I can. Later, all.


	2. Chapter 1 E1: Of Death

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon Crossover Fanfic by jimra

Takahashi Rumiko's and Takeuchi Naoko's wonderful creations are used here without permission. 100% of my profits from this story will go to them, 50% each. Please note, the author of this fanfic is considered a non-profit entity for the purposes of writing fanfiction.

Chapter One: Lessons in Twilight

Episode One: Of Death...

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Once Ranma had dug a grave for the panda, Nephrite set up camp from supplies he found in the two discarded backpacks, the girl's and her panda's, and built a fire. The redhead hadn't moved from kneeling next to the burial site since she'd filled the grave, tears still dropping quietly from her eyes. Since Queen Beryl had told him not to worry about time, he'd decided to stay with Ranma for a while. Within the girl he sensed a remarkably strong will, and Nephrite wanted to know more about her. Also, he sensed in her a potential to use negaforce, a rare thing for a human indeed.

Once the fire was going, Nephrite filled one of the two kettles he'd found in the backpacks from a nearby stream and set it on the new coals. Digging around in the pack the panda had carried, he found a canister of tea, and from each pack, he snagged a slightly battered tin camp cup. Setting the canister of tealeaves and the two cups next to the fire, Nephrite tested the temperature of the kettle, and deciding that it was hot enough, he added the tea leaves to the kettle and set it on a stone away from the flames. Finally, Nephrite walked over to the mourning girl and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know you're in pain," he said quietly, sympathetically. "But please, trust me when I say that everything is going to be alright."

Ranma looked up at the dark general, anger and grief warring in her eyes. "How can you say that?!" she shouted, certainly beyond reason in her pain. "I haven't known anybody but my father since I was really little! What am I going to do...without...him?" Ranma's anger decreased as she spoke, and the last bit finished in a weak whisper. It was obvious to the dark general that she was desperately trying to hold back her tears, and she failed as the sobs escaped her clenched teeth once more, though a fierce light shown behind the grief in her eyes.

Nephrite, for his part, was baffled. Why was she talking about her father? It was only her pet panda that'd died, or so he thought. Still, he'd observed that the panda had far too much lifeforce for a simple animal, and the way that the panda had acted was very anthropomorphic, lending credence to his original thoughts of polymorphic magic or sorcery, forbidden as it was. His face still showing puzzlement, Nephrite returned to the fire, his mind pondering her words and the possibilities regarding the panda.

Some time later, after the sun had set behind the western mountains, Ranma finally stepped into the firelight. Nephrite was quietly sipping his tea, the second brewing he'd done, when she sat down, obviously exhausted from her grief. After a little while longer, she spoke softly in halting, sorrowful, and embarrassed tones.

"Listen," she said, her voice barely audible over the crackling flames. "I'm sorry about earlier. I know you were just trying to help, but you don't know everything. Let me show you."

With that, the red head picked up the second kettle from the edge of the fire, the one Nephrite was heating for a third batch of tea. Assuming that she wanted a fresh cup rather than the lukewarm leavings from the earlier brew, Nephrite reached for the canister of tea and the cup he'd gotten out of her backpack while she'd buried her panda, but Ranma surprised him. Instead of making tea, she lifted the kettle high and poured the contents over her head.

Nephrite's eyes widened as she changed. The girl grew nearly thirty centimeters, filling out the overly large, robe-like garments she wore. Her breasts vanished into the strongly muscled chest of a man, and her hair turned from bright crimson to jet-black. Ranma lost all the softness associated with being female and replaced it with the harder lines and more defined muscles of a man, all in a blinding instant of change. Finally, Ranma sighed.

"It's good to be back in my original body again," he said quietly in a low tenor voice, and then, he looked at Nephrite. "And I guess I owe you an explanation."

To the negawarrior's credit, he recovered from the shock of seeing Ranma change from female to male very quickly, but that did nothing to help his curiosity at this strange turn of events. Never in his twenty-odd millennia of life had he seen the like, and only witnessing other such strange events allowed Nephrite to recover as rapidly as he did. Briefly, Nephrite went over everything he knew about polymorphic effects, little in truth since such effects had been forbidden long before he'd been born, and the reason that they had been forbidden was lost to the mists of time even during the Silver Millennium.

"I wouldn't say that you owe it to me," Nephrite replied in an easy voice. "But I would certainly appreciate it."

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Ranma nodded to the man that had almost certainly saved his life when he'd suicidally tried to face those amazons alone, and he began his story. "Oyaji and I are martial artists; we study the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu by traveling around Japan and China to learn at different training grounds and from various masters. All the training was tough, but this latest one was the worst: Jusenkyo."

Ranma paused for a moment to see if Nephrite had heard of it, but the man showed no sign that he recognized the name. "Jusenkyo is the Training Ground of Accursed Springs, the 'Pools of Sorrow'," Ranma continued in a tone of despairing humor, the very memory causing more pain to his still overburdened mind. "As the guide tried to tell us before we idiotically jumped onto the poles to train, there are more than one hundred springs there, and each one has its own tragic story...and bears its own curse."

The pigtailed martial artist took a deep shuddering breath before continuing, taking a moment to recall the events of a week ago and push back down his sorrow. He'd felt like he'd lost everything when he surfaced in the Nyaniichuan, but losing his father now had made things much, much worse. Even his curse paled in comparison to losing his father like this, and Ranma could only function by purposely forgetting the events that happened earlier in the day.

"The curse works like this," Ranma stated in a slightly stronger voice. "When someone cursed by Jusenkyo is splashed with cold water they take on the cursed form given to them by the pool and hot water changes them back. I fell into the spring of drowned girl, and Oyaji fell into the spring of drowned...panda."

Ranma tried to control his emotions, but even mentioning his father brought waves of depression and despair crashing over him, forcing him to face that which he still tried to ignore. Tears silently made their way down his cheeks, and he turned away from the other man in humiliation, knowing how much is father would have been shamed by such a display. Nephrite speaking to him finally brought his attention back to the here and now, though he still hid his face from his savior.

"I see. So the panda was actually your father." Nephrite's voice carried sympathy, but none of the pity or recrimination Ranma dreaded from the older man, eliciting some hope from him. "I know the pain is still fresh in your mind; perhaps you should try to rest."

Ranma nodded silently, and without saying another word, the pigtailed boy stood and walked into the tent. He was proud, in a rather depressing way, that he managed to reach his blankets before the tears came again.

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As Ranma walked away, Nephrite pondered the boy's story, a strange look on his face. Here was a young man, a fighter by appearance, declaration, and evidence, who had a great deal of negaforce potential and a very unique outlook on the world. Unfortunately, several things kept Nephrite from the idea that he should train the boy: first, it took years to become a negawarrior, even for those who were gifted, such as he and his fellow three generals were. Second, the boy's heart was wounded horribly, and Nephrite well knew the crippling depression that such a loss could cause. He completely understood Ranma's feelings, though perhaps he didn't know their full depth.

The strangest part was the dark general's wish to remain with the boy, despite his own scouting mission on Terra. Somehow the girl turned boy, or boy turned girl, Nephrite supposed, had already found a way to make Nephrite care, without even trying. Deciding to at least observe for the next few days, the grey-clad man leaned back and sipped his tea, his mind lost in contemplation, though no amount of thought could drown out the sobs as Nephrite's new companion cried himself to sleep.

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He was back at Jusenkyo. Ranma looked at the pools with not a little fear; he knew what they could do. Of course, that wouldn't help. The fog-shrouded pools with their bamboo poles stretched as far as the eye could see, and Ranma turned a slow circle, realizing that he stood in the middle of the training ground on a small patch of ground between the pools. Besides the fog over the pools and the fact that anything more than a dozen meters away disappeared into a fuzzy whiteness, there was nothing to see, and the sky was the steely grey of clouds soon to rain, though the pigtailed boy was less worried about that than falling into another one of those pools. Taking deep breaths, the young martial artist had just about gotten a good handle on his anxiety when a large furry paw landed on his shoulder.

"Ghaa!!" The gi-clad youth jumped three meters into the air, twisting to face the threat as martial instincts drilled into him for over ten years of his life kicked in. Landing in a defensive stance, thankfully on a patch of dry earth rather than in one of the pools, Ranma faced the threat—and screamed.

"Growf?" asked the panda, the sign in its paw reading, 'What's wrong, boy?'

Ranma's mouth hung half way to his waist and his eyes were as big as saucers at the sight of the panda, and it wasn't because he knew that his father was dead. That was obvious from the panda's visage.

Standing his usual enormous height, the panda was in horrible shape. Not only was the arrow that slew him still lodged in his gut, but portions of the animal's skin were now hanging loosely, exposing the slowly, but perceivably, rotting flesh beneath. Half of the panda's fur had fallen out, and the beast's jaw hung at an awkward, painful-looking angle, probably from the fall after the arrow struck. But worst of all were its eyes. The small black orbs weren't there, and now, small blue flames burned fitfully in the hollow, sunken sockets.

The only thing that hadn't changed was the panda's behavior, and it demonstrated this as the sign spun to reveal a new message on the back. 'I said,' the sign read, 'what's wrong, boy. We finally made it to Jusenkyo and now you don't want to train?'

"O—Oyaji..." Ranma's fear finally began to bleed away with the mildly familiar behavior, and he looked away as he felt his eyes begin to burn with unshed tears. 'Something musta blown in my eyes,' he thought, even though not a breath of wind was felt. Somehow, even with the sure knowledge that his father was dead, he still couldn't accept the unmanly gesture of crying, especially in front of the man.

Taking a deep breath, Ranma started turning back toward his late father, intending to train with him even in his current condition. However, even as he turned, he froze again, this time in a combination of fear and anger as a sound reached his ears.

It was a war cry. More specifically, it was the undulating war cry of those damned women, and it was all around them. Ranma's face contorted into a ghastly rictus of rage and hatred, and he went into a combat stance while trying to look in every direction. Without being able to determine where the sound was coming from in addition to the fog, they could attack from anywhere.

Then he saw them, resolving out of fog like ghosts, walking over ground and water with equal ease. Like his father, these were the women that had died in the fight, their wounds still oozing thick, coagulating blood as he watched. In some, the instrument of death still hung from limp, torn skin and muscle, while others had necks bent at odd angles or several bones where there should have been only one. They all shared the pale, greenish skin of the newly deceased, but it was the eyes he found most disturbing.

Like the panda, none of the women had normal eyes, but the Joketsuzoku had sickly green flames in their eye sockets. Even without actual eyes, Ranma could feel the accusation in their gazes. 'You are supposed to be a martial artist,' the message rang in Ranma's head, clear as if they'd screamed it in his face. 'Use the least force necessary to win a battle. Never cause serious harm, never kill.'

The young martial artist's breath quickened as their eyes spoke in his mind; the accusation, the shame, the...truth, made the air feel dense, heavy. Ranma's breath came in ragged gasps, his eyes burning. The Joketsuzoku just stood, whether on earth or water, their accusing gaze bearing down on the youth. A few tears seeped from his eyes to crawl slowly down his cheeks, even though he was not at all unhappy with their deceased state.

Ranma looked down, his thoughts in turmoil. He had killed. That was the simple truth; there was no escaping it. He no longer had his innocence, that much demonstrated by his lack of remorse for the act of ending their lives, and his life as a martial artist was truly over. Beyond losing his father, he had lost his title, his place as heir to school and clan, and most of his honor. Such a violation of the code, using his skills to intentionally kill, especially with such a complete lack of mercy, was enough to forever remove him from the world he had known with his father.

The youth turned to look at the panda, hoping for some acceptance from the decaying animal who had been his father, but all Ranma could see in those blue flames was his own betrayal and the hatred that the betrayal sparked in his father. 'You betrayed everything I ever taught you,' the panda's gaze drilled into Ranma, the message clear. 'In a fit of rage not worthy of a Saotome, you threw away everything I held dear, everything I passed on to you.'

Ranma fell to his knees, his emotional control broken. Tears streamed from the young man's eyes and sobs wracked his chest as he knelt under the gaze of the dead, but there was no release from the pain. Ranma's hands reflexively clenched into fists even as they supported him, gouging deep furrows in the ground.

'You are not worthy to call yourself a martial artist.' The accusation rang clearly in Ranma's mind; even though he couldn't see the ghostly stares, their eyes bore into him.

'You are not worthy to call yourself a man.' With this, Ranma's form shifted, and a small, red-haired girl wept, surrounded by her ghosts.

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Some time later, Nephrite heard the sound of crying once again emanating from the tent where his companion slept, and when went to check, he found Ranma, in his female form, curled into the fetal position, still asleep but crying. Occasionally, the girl would whimper or mumble something too quiet to hear, but the anguish and pain in her voice was readily apparent.

The dark general knelt silently next to the small, sleeping girl, checking her for any physical ailment using the tiny amount of the lifeforce he still had after the fight. Finding no problems, Nephrite walked to his own bedroll, borrowed from the pack once belonging to Ranma's father, deep in contemplation.

Firstly, Nephrite coldly considered the oddity of Ranma being in her female form when he checked, especially since she was not the least bit damp except from her tears. Ranma hadn't mentioned spontaneous changes in form in her explanation of the curse, and the dark general didn't think that cooling tears would be enough to trigger the transformation. That would require additional thought and observation, but a more pressing concern was Ranma's mental state.

Of course, Nephrite knew the most likely cause of Ranma's distress: between losing his father and having his first kill, all in the same day, Nephrite would have been in bad shape, too. Killing was never easy, especially the first, and the loss of a family member, particularly one's only guardian while still a child, was awful. Ranma hadn't said that this was his first kill, but from the way the martial artist had avoided the subject, it was clear to Nephrite that it was the first, or near enough as to make no difference. The brown-haired man was no stranger to death: he had been a soldier longer than man's current recorded history. However, he could still remember his first kill. The memory was burned into his mind so completely that he would never forget no matter how long he lived, and the memory seemed to swell into his vision as if it had a life of its own and was summoned by the simple act of being conscious of it.

Nephrite had only just finished his training to join the Knights of Terra when a small rebellion had erupted in one of the more remote areas of the planet, and three battalions were dispatched to put down the violent unrest. The dark general rolled onto his side as the memory played in his mind like a full recording, restless in the face of an even now still painful recollection.

When his unit arrived in the town where the leader of the rebellion had taken refuge, the other two battalions had already moved in. It was a horrible sight, one that would haunt the dark general for the rest of his life regardless of how many battles he'd fought or would fight in the future. The bodies of men, women, and children lay scattered about the streets as the soldiers of Terra attacked. Such a brutal attack for those that looked so innocent in death sickened the brown-haired man, but training took over and outwardly, he remained dispassionate regardless of feeling sick within. In the background, above the roar of burning homes, Nephrite could hear the screams of the dying. The battle was savage and indiscriminate on both sides, no quarter asked for or given, it seemed.

As he watched the nightmare of battle unfold before him as though for the first time, Nephrite moved mechanically into position, thanking the gods that his unit was on guard duty at the edge of the landing zone rather than in the pitched fighting...involved in the killing. Seeing battle for the first time was a terrible thing, but not nearly as bad as actually killing.

It was four hours later when his first kill was forced upon him by a small group of rebels trying to breech their defensive line. Nephrite was talking to an old buddy from basic when the other man's head suddenly exploded, the blast from an electrostatic plasma bolt ripping through the other man's skull. Despite the blood and grey matter slowly sliding off of his face, Nephrite reacted instantly, dropping to the ground and aiming his own plasma-crystal rifle out at his enemies.

Nephrite grimaced as the memory continued, his reverie crystalline in his mind's eye. He remembered not thinking at that point; ignoring the fact that his friend was dead, he'd let his training take over once more. He could feel the hum of his weapon's crystalline power source as the he began to spray his threat zone with bright yellow-orange bolts of superheated gas encased in magical energy, his eyes only focusing on his enemies after the area was already glowing with molten impact craters.

Even after he saw the rebels, the barrel of his weapon didn't cease its constant stream of deadly darts, and Nephrite ignored the high-pitched hum that indicated that the weapon was beginning to overheat and might even destroy itself. Instead, the wildly flying projectiles became more focused. Nephrite slowly narrowed his weapon's firing pattern on his enemies, methodically zeroing in on their position while making sure they couldn't flank him.

By the time the first of the rebels fell, a cauterized hole blasted through his chest by a superheated gas projectile, Nephrite was coldly calculating the trajectory of each shot, though the weapon's overheat warning keened in the air, louder and louder. Three more rebels fell to his concentrated fire, but as the last rebel tried to move from his doomed cover, Nephrite's eyes widened as he recognized the weapon.

The dark general's face contorted slightly as he stared up at the night sky; he could still feel his rage from that day so long ago, albeit muted. On that day, however, Nephrite's face froze into a mask of absolute fury, his eyes blazing with hatred. The rebel was holding a longer weapon compared to his companions: a sniper rifle. Nephrite knew immediately that this one was responsible for his friend's death, and the brown-haired man stopped firing to take aim, even as the overheat warning reached a sharpness that warned him that any further firing might cause the weapon to explode.

'I still don't know why he stopped when I quit firing,' Nephrite thought as he relaxed on his bedroll, feeling strange at being troubled by a memory over twenty millennia old.

But that was the case. The rebel stopped as the plasma bolts ceased their burning impacts all around him, and rather than immediately seeking cover, the man turned.

Nephrite's eyes widened as he saw an old man with white hair and kindly, grandfatherly eyes set under a deep, bushy brow. Later, Nephrite had found out that there was no rebellion, just a town whose ideals ran counter to the crown's wishes, but at that moment, he didn't think. Fury and hatred at the one who would take his friend's life filled Nephrite, and he coldly took aim at the elderly man's head, not a thought to the possibility of his weapon detonating.

It was very satisfying to pull the trigger, and when the old man's head was ripped from his body by a glowing bolt, Nephrite smiled. His friend was avenged.

Later, after Nephrite and what was left of his unit returned to their base, he began to reevaluate his actions. Sickened at his feelings, Nephrite almost gave up being a soldier. Only talking to his sergeant, a man named Kellis, had kept him with the Knights of Terra.

"Son," Kellis had said. "Everyone who's had to kill knows exactly what you're going through. Never like it, but never shy away from it when it needs to be done. And never forget the dead."

The dark general smiled as he recalled all the advice the veteran had given him, all the times that Kellis was able to give the younger man a sense of self respect and pride in the face of the horrors of being a soldier.

Ranma was probably going though the same thing Nephrite himself had felt after his first kill, and Nephrite intended to deal with it in the exact same way Kellis had. The veteran Knight hadn't said anything directly about Nephrite's strange behavior after the deployment, but he subtly made the younger man feel more at ease until Nephrite had the courage to talk to him. That approach seemed best.

Now having a plan to help Ranma through his grief and his first kill, Nephrite decided to indulge in something he had rarely done during his incredibly long life span and allowed sleep to claim him.

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Ranma woke just before dawn, her dream still vivid in her mind and her emotional control shattered, much to her continued shame. Uncurling, the pigtailed girl ran a hand across her eyes and cursed.

'I can't believe I was crying in my sleep,' she thought, but her wounded dignity crumbled before the memory of her dream. 'I'm not worthy of being a martial artist or a man. I've betrayed everything Oyaji believed in, everything he taught me.'

Sighing, Ranma slowly rose from her bedroll. Nephrite was already up and cooking breakfast over an obviously rebuilt fire, and the pigtailed girl was surprised at this, especially considering that she remembered going to sleep before the man even entered the tent. 'Come to think of it,' Ranma thought disconcertingly, 'his blankets didn't even looked slept-in.'

Not saying a word, Ranma walked away from the campsite toward a nearby stream, audible behind a thicket of screening bushes and trees, which Nephrite had used for water the day before. Taking off her gi in the privacy of the thicket, Ranma quickly bathed in the frigid water, her thoughts still repeating the same depressing things, memories of her dream.

Once Ranma was finished bathing, she dressed and returned to camp. Nephrite was just scooping their breakfast of rice and miso soup from the pots over the fire, and though the food smelled delicious, the fire-haired girl could work up no enthusiasm for eating. When Ranma sat down, Nephrite silently offered her one of two kettles of steaming water, just recently pulled from the coals, but she simply looked at it until Nephrite set it on the ground within her reach, a slightly troubled look on his face.

Ranma ate her breakfast mechanically, not meeting Nephrite's eyes when he glanced in her direction. After the bowl was emptied of the surprisingly good camp fare, the redhead set the dish on the ground, and without a word, she stood and walked to the far side of the clearing. Forcing her mind to concentrate, Ranma began her morning kata, trying hopelessly to find her center.

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Ranma hadn't changed back into her male form in three days, and this, quite frankly, was worrying Nephrite. Perhaps Ranma enjoyed his female form more than Nephrite thought, but the dark general was relatively certain that, in his first impression of the child, his campmate preferred her birth form to the cursed one. Since she was still female, Nephrite could only assume that she was still upset about her first kill and the death of her father.

Following his decision from a few nights before, Nephrite hadn't initiated a conversation regarding Ranma's first kill, but he was beginning to believe that his decision was a mistake. It didn't look like the boy turned girl was ever going to talk to him, preferring to wallow in her own depression and pour her life entirely into training, and while those training sessions were impressive, beginning to alter the negawarrior's decision not to train her, Nephrite didn't think it was the best way. Perhaps it was because Ranma's father's death was in the mix, and maybe it was because she had only met Nephrite recently and didn't trust him as he'd trusted Kellis, but it was becoming obvious that Ranma wasn't going to initiate a conversation. That was when a fragment of memory came to Nephrite unbidden, a couple of simple lines once spoken by his mentor in his days as a Knight of Terra.

"Nephrite," asked Kellis in his usual gruff tone. "What the hell happened now?"

The dark general didn't remember what the situation was, but Kellis answered anyway. "Look, son. Sometimes they just need a swift kick in the ass. Ya can't let somebody just ignore the problem."

Nephrite smirked. Since Ranma wasn't handling her grief and guilt well and refused to talk to him about it, Nephrite would just have to snap her out of it. The girl was an excellent fighter from what Nephrite had observed of her training sessions, and a good fight might be just what she needed. 'It might not go well at first,' thought the negawarrior, 'but it's necessary.'

Confident in his decision, Nephrite knelt and began to meditate, listening to the girl continue to pour everything into her training. Once night arrived, he would make an energy raid on one of the nearby villages and refill his reserves; then, Ranma would realize that he was not alone in his struggle to control his sorrow and shame, even if Nephrite had to beat it into him.

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Two days later, Nephrite learned from the stars he studied each night that it was time to act, that this day was the optimal time to snap the boy turned girl out of her constant martial training. Ranma was still showing all the signs of classical depression in a fighter, and the dark general had had enough of waiting, regardless. Walking over to where Ranma was doing her usual morning kata, Nephrite could tell that the pigtailed girl hadn't even tried to deal with her guilt and grief, just pouring everything into her training and living in constant mushin without dealing with her pain.

For a moment, Nephrite observed the girl as she gracefully moved through the forms in a way that seemed like dancing, and he couldn't fault her movements as anything less than beautiful. Each kick or punch seemed just right as she performed it, flowing from position to position as though the redhead was fighting five or six opponents. Even nature seemed to take a part in the kata, the breeze causing the trees around the clearing and the grass under foot to move in a way that complemented Ranma's deadly dance. Almost mesmerized, Nephrite watched until he caught the look in her eyes, like flat, dead blue stones without a hint of joy in her motion. If his observations and the stars were not enough, that expression set his course of action.

Without warning, Nephrite attacked. A surprised Ranma barely dodged his first attack, a vicious flying kick aimed at the pigtailed girl's head, but shock was quickly replaced with a mixture of anger and challenge on the redhead's face as she replied to the negawarrior's kick with a fast punch combination.

Nephrite leapt back as Ranma attacked, rebounding off of a tree to jump high over the girl's head, but the pigtailed fighter was ready for the move. A brief smile crossed her face as she leapt to meet the negawarrior in the air, her hands and feet blurring as she attacked. The two fighters hung in the air for a short time, defying gravity as each attempted to break through the defenses of the other, but neither succeeded before the pull of Terra finally reasserted its control over their motion.

Landing at opposite sides of the clearing, both combatants launched themselves into yet another vicious melee, practically flying across the intervening ground. Limbs blurring in punches, kicks, and strikes, warrior and negawarrior fought without holding back, their faces now showing nothing but the concentration of well-matched fighters.

For nearly three minutes they continued this blinding pace of attacks, blocks, and dodges, but at an unknown signal, the two leapt backward for a brief rest.

Ranma stood in a low stance, heavy breathing and sweat-glistening skin accentuating the redhead's inherent sexual appeal. Nephrite mirrored the girl's pose, his long brown hair soaked and hanging limply around his head. With a quick motion, the negawarrior swept his hair back.

Then, once again at some unknown, mutually agreeable signal, the battle resumed. Rushing forward, Ranma's battle aura flared a bright blue-green as the redhead continued her assault, but Nephrite was done with fighting mundanely. Drawing negaforce through his mirror, the dark general began to manifest the black aura that was the trademark of a negawarrior as he met Ranma once again in the center of the clearing.

Instead of a blur of motion, this clash was a war between aquamarine light and inky darkness. The power being released as the battle between ki-infused martial artist and annihilation-powered negawarrior was staggering, and had there been any spectators, they would have been blinded by the intensity of the energy.

After nearly a minute and a half of constantly trading blows, Ranma finally managed to slip through the older man's guard with quick jab to the chin. She quickly followed up with a tremendously high-speed knee to the gut forcing the stunned Nephrite to double over. Finally, an elbow strike to the back of his head dropped the negawarrior to the ground.

Now, most people would think that their adversary was out of action after such a combination, possibly permanently, but Ranma obviously didn't think so little of her opponent. After laying the dark general out on the ground, she immediately jumped back and faced him, watching for him to rise and continue the battle. She didn't have long to wait.

An intense burst of darkness flashed from Nephrite as he drew deeply on negaforce, its combination with lifeforce from his reservoir and subsequent annihilation singing in his ears. Burning with a black, flame-like aura, Nephrite looked at Ranma with inhuman blue-glowing eyes. The pigtailed girl gasped, freezing for a moment, and that was all Nephrite needed.

In the fraction of a second that Ranma was stunned, Nephrite rushed forward to pummel the pigtailed girl with fifteen darkness-infused punches and strikes, ending with a powerful reverse punch to her sternum. The redhead flew back from the final strike, and the clearing was filled with the sound of a tree falling as Ranma's body slammed into it, the impact snapping the trunk in two. As it crashed to the ground, Ranma fell to the ground in a rolling, twisting, and unconscious heap.

Nephrite allowed the rest of the power he'd gathered for the sparring match/fight to bleed away as his pigtailed friend rolled to a stop. The negawarrior took a deep, calming breath, and then went to check on Ranma. The girl in question lay on the ground looking bruised and battered, but her pulse and breathing were strong. Satisfied that Ranma would be alright, Nephrite gently picked the girl up, cradling her suddenly fragile-seeming form carefully, and headed back to their campsite.

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The path from the thick darkness of unconsciousness back to the waking world was never a pleasant one, but this was something Ranma was well acquainted with from her long training journey. As was the case every time the pigtailed youth had awoken from that state, the first sense to return was touch, and with it, pain. The waking girl sucked in a breath through clenched teeth as signal upon signal from her aching body reached her brain.

Once she'd force down the pain, Ranma slowly became aware that she was lying on something soft, perhaps a bed of hay or a bedroll, and that there was the tightness of bandages on her skin in several places. 'I'm gonna kill Oyaji for this!' thought Ranma, a mixture of anger and embarrassment at her unremembered defeat infusing her mental voice. 'This time he went too far!'

Of course, due to the universal law of irony, that was when memories returned, and the pigtailed girl's next sensation was that of tears of sorrow rather than pain squeezing their way out of her eyes and sliding down her bruised cheeks.

The next senses to return were taste and smell, and Ranma became aware of the horrible taste of old blood and bile in her mouth, and the smell of wood smoke filled her nostrils. She swallowed, almost painfully, but it didn't remove the offending tastes as her mouth was dry.

Next, she became aware of the snapping and crackling of a fire, and with that prompting along with the smell of smoke, she felt warmth to her right. A slight groan escaped her desiccated throat as motor control tried to return, but the movements were slight and each one caused a small jolt of pain.

Finally, Ranma's eyes opened, and she looked up into a starry sky. However, that didn't last as Nephrite leaned into her field of vision.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Ranma shouted angrily, or at least that's what she intended. Unfortunately, her throat and vocal cords didn't want to cooperate, and it came out as a hoarse whisper that sounded more like, "Wada 'eller oo hining?"

"Now now, Ranma," Nephrite replied to Ranma's unintelligible words in a mildly patronizing tone. "I know that was pretty harsh for a sparring match, but I'll tell you my reasons once you can actually reply. For now, just drink some of this."

With that, Nephrite gently slid his hand behind the girl's head and lifted it toward a cup he held in the other. Ranma, deciding that an argument could wait until she could at least speak, made no protests as Nephrite helped her to drink the deliciously cold water. The liquid soothed her dry throat and washed away the sickening taste in her mouth, but after only a few moments, the brown-haired man pulled the cup away from her lips. "Not too much at once, now," he said gently. "I don't want you to get sick."

The redhead nodded slightly, somewhat annoyed at his condescending tone, and a moment later the dark general let her drink a bit more. This went on until the cup was empty, and Nephrite went to refill it. However, by the time he returned, Ranma had fallen into a deep, healing, and most importantly, dreamless sleep.

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Seeing the young one asleep, Nephrite downed the cup of water in his hand and went to sit next to the fire. Gazing at the redhead, he thought, 'I'm sorry about that, Ranma, but you really need to be snapped out your depression. The only way I could think of to do it, after watching you for all these days, was by giving you a good fight. Something to work off your depression.'

The negawarrior sighed, and then winced. Ranma had fought even better than he had anticipated through his observation of her technique, and Nephrite could feel every blow the pigtailed girl had landed. 'Hell,' thought Nephrite ruefully. 'I can feel quite a few of the attacks I blocked, too.'

After a few more moments of gazing at the red-haired girl while she slept, Nephrite leaned back on his own bedroll and put himself into a healing trance, setting himself to wake at first light.

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When Ranma finally woke again, the sun had already climbed three time's its breadth into the eastern sky. Realizing she had overslept, the pigtailed youth tried to jump to her feet, but a good dose of pain from her abused body relegated her to a sitting position on her bedroll. Closing her eyes against a bit of dizziness, she started when a voice said, "Good morning."

Snarling, the redhead's eyes flew open, and she whipped her head around to face the speaker, someone who could really use a piece of her mind. That, however, was a mistake.

When Ranma's eyes opened again, she was getting a very close look at her bedroll. Sitting up, slowly this time, she turned to face her betrayer and took a few deep, relaxing breaths since she couldn't really apply the ass kicking she wanted to give Nephrite in this condition.

"Good morning," Nephrite said again, his voice still quite congenial. Offering her a bowl, he continued, "Would you like some breakfast?"

Glaring with the eyes of death itself, Ranma nonetheless took the proffered bowl and inhaled the contents at nearly double her normal speed before handing it back to the dark general. Without saying a word, though his eyes betrayed his amazement at her eating speed, Nephrite began to refill it with another generous helping of rice, miso soup, and fish.

"Why the hell did you do that? I thought I could trust you!" Ranma would have shouted, hell, she wanted to scream, but she knew that any kind of anger or outburst would be counter-productive to her goal of beating the absolute shit out of Nephrite as soon as her body finished healing. Consequently, her words came out as a whisper, albeit a loud one delivered through clenched teeth.

"If you're referring to our little match yesterday, I had to snap you out of your depression," the negawarrior replied calmly, handing the bowl filled with food back to the redhead, "and I know you're not the type of person who would be helped by just talking about it, especially since you weren't speaking at all."

The pigtailed girl paused long enough to inhale her second helping—about two seconds—and handed the bowl back for a third before saying, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Nephrite sighed as he took the bowl and began filling it with a third helping. This wasn't going to be easy, even if his plan to get the boy turned girl to speak had succeeded. "Ranma," he said quietly. "We couldn't have this conversation if we hadn't fought yesterday. In fact, if it hadn't been as intense as it was, I doubt it would have done any good."

Ranma eagerly took a full, proffered bowl from Nephrite's hands and downed it with the same gusto she'd shown with the first two before replying in that same fierce whisper, "What are you talking about? You had to beat the hell outta me to talk to me?"

After taking the bowl back to fill it with a fourth helping, Nephrite said in an exasperated voice, "Listen to yourself, Ranma. Before our fight, you hardly said a word. You barely ate, you slept fitfully, and you still haven't switched back to your birth form. Talk about classical signs of depression, and a bit more, considering the curse complications. By the way, should I just give you the pot?"

Ranma had already finished her fourth helping, and the red-haired girl nodded eagerly to Nephrite's last question before answering the dark general. "I wasn't that bad! I was just throwin' everything inta my training!"

Snagging the two pots from Nephrite's hands, Ranma poured the remaining miso soup into the rice container and started devouring it at a speed that even Nephrite didn't think she could manage, and while she did so, the older man answered, "Oh please! That's just pure idiocy, and you know it."

After a moment of silence, other than Ranma's munching, Nephrite sighed. "Are you going to talk about what's bothering you, or do I have to spell it out?"

Unfortunately for the dark general, Ranma was too busy licking the last of the miso-covered rice from the bottom of the pot to hear what he said. After a moment, she set the clean pot on the ground and sat back with a contented sigh followed by a wince. "Whadja say?"

Growling a bit in frustration, Nephrite repeated himself, and Ranma sat quietly for a moment in silent contemplation. Finally, she seemed to reach a decision and spoke in a quiet, sad voice. "Alright. I've...I've been having horrible dreams. And they're right. I've betrayed everything Oyaji ever taught me about the code of a martial artist. I—I slaughtered women. I have no right to call myself a martial artist...no right to call myself a man." As the young boy turned girl spoke, her words became harder and harder to hear, her voice growing softer as her depression reasserted itself until she finally trailed off. By the time she said the word 'man' she was speaking in a barely audible whisper, and as her unhappiness threatened to return full force, Nephrite spoke angrily.

"Ranma! If you'd just listen to yourself you'd realize why I had to do this to you to snap you out of it!"

It was like the clouds cleared and the sun shone through as understanding dawned on the pigtailed girl's face. Looking at Nephrite, a few tears managed to escape from her eyes as she spoke, her emotional control almost broken under both the realization and the depression. "How—how do you deal with it? How can you lose the only person you've ever really known? How did you k—kill wi—withou—out feeling like th—this?"­­

Nephrite sighed as his anger abated, and when he spoke, his voice was gentle and calm. "It's never easy to kill, especially the first time, and it never should become easy. A long time ago, a man who helped train me told me something about killing. He said, 'Never like it, but never shy away from it when it needs to be done.' I've taken those words to heart; they embody what it is to be a soldier and a warrior. Maybe you aren't a martial artist anymore, but you are still a man. And now, you can claim the title of warrior as well."

Ranma sighed, but after a moment she said, "Lemme think about this stuff. I have to come to terms with this myself. In the mean time, do ya have any hot water?"

Smiling and nodding in agreement, Nephrite pulled the already heated kettle from the fire and handed it to the soon to be once again pigtailed boy.

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Author's Notes:

Welcome to the rewrite of Chapter One, and as anyone who's been keeping up with the story from before the rewrite will realize, I split it in two. This may or may not be warranted, but I didn't think I gave Ranma enough time to deal with his grief in the original, hence the rewrite. Also, this time, Nephrite doesn't ask Ranma to be his student until the second part of Chapter One (rather than in the prologue, somewhat rushed), a better amount of time to observe our protagonist in action and allowing him to heal a bit more before asking him to accept a life-changing event like becoming a negawarrior.

Now, a great deal of argument, I'm sure, will occur due to Genma's portrayal, but I need to remind anyone who remembers Genma as a greedy, heartless bastard (everyone raise your hands), that this is Ranma's golden image of him after his death. No one wants to remember ill of a dead family member.

As always, I want to thank my prereaders for their insightful advice and proofreading skills.

Nothing else to say, so thanks for reading. Later.

Second Rewrite Notes:

Like the rewrite of the prologue and all the other 'second rewrites', this rewrite was inspired by advice from Larry F at the Lost Library of Florestica. This rewrite was fairly minor to remove certain grammatical and syntax errors and to add some detail to various scenes. I hope you all enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 1 E2: and Life

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon Crossover Fanfic by jimra

As part of a rewrite of chapter one, this episode came to be, so I'll disclaim this as based upon the original chapter one of negawarrior, a story owned by jimra using characters, locations, and situations owned by Takahashi Rumiko and Takeuchi Naoko. No infringement is meant toward Takahashi-sama, Takeuchi-sama, or jimra-sa... wait a minute, I can infringe all I want on jimra! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Just remember, it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you...

Chapter One: Lessons in Twilight

Episode Two: ...and Life

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Over the next several days, Nephrite watched Ranma finally deal with losing his father and having his first kill, though he was certain it would take a great deal more time. The boy poured his all into training, stopping only to eat or sleep, almost like before. However, Ranma was male again, and the boy was talkative, even animated, at meal times. Even though he trained almost every waking hour, the depression he'd exhibited before had not reasserted itself.

Beyond worrying about Ranma's mental health, the former martial artist continued amaze the negawarrior with his prowess and general fighting ability; in fact, Nephrite would bet on Ranma over most youma in hand-to-hand combat. Slowly, the idea was firming in the dark general's mind to ask Ranma to become his student regardless of the time necessary, but he needed to determine the right time to ask his companion. The stars would tell him; they always did.

Some days later, Ranma and Nephrite were sitting beside the fire eating dinner, a tasty, if boring, fare of canned fish and rice with a little soy sauce. The boy seemed to be doing much better, and Nephrite decided that tonight would be the right time to ask his companion. His reading of the constellations the previous night indicated that his prospective student would be most receptive to the question that evening, and while he doubted it would come easily, Nephrite had faith in the stars' portent.

"Ranma," Nephrite began. "We've been here for some time, and I believe that I've gotten a good gauge of your abilities. I'd like to offer to teach you my Art."

Ranma had been shoveling food away, as Nephrite had learned since the youth had gotten over his depression, in the traditional Saotome style; that is, he was stuffing his face as quickly as he could. However, Nephrite's statement made him pause.

"You don't have to answer right away," the dark general continued. "But I see potential in you that I've rarely seen in any other human being."

Slowly, Ranma put his bowl down and set his hashi in it. Nephrite could tell the boy was thinking seriously, so he waited patiently.

After nearly half an hour more, Ranma finally spoke. "Without Oyaji, I don't have any direction. No where to go; nothing to do." The boy sighed, and the pauses in his words made them seem labored, but he continued. "In any case, I guess I'd like to learn, to actually have some kind of direction. Let me think about it for a little while."

As Ranma spoke, a small smile spread across Nephrite's face. The stars had spoken truthfully once more, and the boy was going to accept. It might take another demonstration or a practice match, but he was certain that Ranma would learn the ways of the negawarrior.

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Three days later, Ranma was totally consumed with a kata meditation. The boy's thoughts were confused, but the meditation was helping.

*Kick* *Kick* *Punch*

The movement of his body in time with the ki coursing through the area, the mingling of it with his own ki, the power and grace of the martial arts combined and balanced in perfect harmony.

*Strike* *Kick* *Sweep*

In short, this was what Ranma lived for, this feeling of being in complete control of his mind, body, and spirit. In this state, Ranma could think clearly, could find his center and stay there. Only here could he find peace from his father's death and his disturbing lack of emotion toward the first deaths caused by his own hands, killing those that killed his old man. Certainly, the actual act of ending another life filled him with revulsion, but now, the deaths of those that killed Genma held little more than an emotionless, hollow satisfaction one finds in a distasteful job done correctly. In fact, Ranma didn't believe he would feel any differently if the entire Joketsu tribe was annihilated. It was a strange change from his broken dreams of only nights before, and the drastic shift in perception worried the pigtailed former martial artist to some small degree.

After a few more minutes of free kata, Ranma became aware that he was being watched. Opening his eyes momentarily, the pigtailed warrior saw Nephrite standing quietly next to a tree at the edge of the clearing. Ranma closed his eyes once more.

Nephrite's offer intrigued the young man, but he still wasn't sure that the older man's Art was worth learning. Sure, Nephrite displayed a very impressive battle aura, but that didn't mean that his techniques were actually effective at anything but scaring people. Certainly he had won the fight when he snapped Ranma out of his depression, but the pigtailed warrior knew that he couldn't have been fighting at his best in that state of mind. Finally, Ranma came to a decision.

Ceasing his kata, Ranma turned to face Nephrite, his smirk still only a shadow of its former cockiness, but it was there. "You want to teach me your techniques?"

Nephrite nodded, and Ranma continued. "Alright, I want to see what you can do. Let's have a practice match."

Again, Nephrite nodded, and this time a smile crept onto his face. Then, the grey-uniformed man walked forward a couple of meters and stood relaxed. "Come at me anytime," he said, now smirking.

That smirk, and the confidence it displayed, was mirrored on Ranma's face as he dropped into an offensive stance, more of the young man's cockiness returning in the face of the familiar circumstance. The former martial artist sized his opponent up one last time and leapt forward.

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Nephrite watched Ranma crouch with a feral smirk on his face; one that he was sure was mirrored on his own lips. Then the boy leapt at him, attacking with a strong flying kick. The dark general sidestepped the initial attack and tapped Ranma's leg to shove him off course, but Ranma recovered quickly, and he renewed his attack on the ground with a quick, precise sweep that Nephrite hopped over. The boy's movements were much more controlled than in their last fight, and Nephrite knew that would make this fight quite a bit harder.

Most people would have been defeated by the lightning-quick punches and kicks Ranma threw at Nephrite, but a negawarrior is no ordinary person. Still, without using any of his powers, Nephrite found himself hard pressed to even defend against the former martial artist's assault, much less counterattack.

Luckily, Nephrite had seen this match coming, and in the previous nights, the dark general had once again snuck out of camp while Ranma was sleeping to raid nearby villages for lifeforce. After five such nights and nearly fifty drained people, his internal reserves were almost completely full. It was too bad he couldn't revisit that first village: it would have only taken one night and less than a quarter of the people, but the negawarrior couldn't risk allowing those women to track him back to camp. Besides, the amount of lifeforce he would have had to expend to fight them if he were caught made the whole idea a somewhat risky proposition.

Finally, after about six minutes of dodging and blocking, Nephrite decided he'd fought in the normal manner for long enough, especially since his prospective student looked less than impressed with the dark general's mundane fighting ability. Surprisingly, at least in Nephrite's opinion, he hadn't been able to get in a single hit yet. The dark general leapt back just as Ranma finished a rather vicious combination of barely blocked open-hand strikes, and before the boy could follow, Nephrite erected a physical shield construct around his body, fueling it with annihilation power.

When Ranma attacked the negawarrior from above, he hit the shield; the former martial artist's shock was apparent on his face. Nephrite gave Ranma no chance to recover from his surprise; the negawarrior rushed forward to attack the pigtailed boy with a three-punch combination powered by the annihilation of lifeforce and negaforce. His greatly increased strength and speed combined with Ranma's surprise allowed Nephrite to fully connect with all three, and the pigtailed boy staggered a bit, his breath rushing from his lungs in one pained gasp.

To his credit, Ranma wasn't immediately felled by the surprisingly strong attacks, and he even tried to counterattack. Just as the dark general knew it would, everything Ranma threw at Nephrite bounced harmlessly off the dark general's skillfully manipulated shield, the negawarrior creating another series of briefly present holes in his shield, attacking again. Seeing that, despite reeling from the blows, Ranma still up and fighting, Nephrite's respect for the boy and his skill rose yet another notch or two, but the negawarrior decided that it was time to end this. Gauging the strength of his blast to be more than enough to knock the boy out, though not enough to kill him, Nephrite let loose with a bolt of absolute darkness.

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Ranma had just enough time to blink in surprise before the bolt of shadow slammed into his chest. The pain was incredible; it felt like the bolt was trying to rip his ki away. The world turned white, and Ranma screamed.

After what seemed to be an eternity of nothing but pain, Ranma slowly opened his eyes. The pigtailed boy was lying on his stomach, and his back hurt like he'd been rammed into a tree. Looking up, Ranma thought, 'Scratch that. I was rammed into a tree.'

Still gasping for breath, Ranma slowly climbed to his feet. Everything ached with a soreness he knew couldn't have been caused just by slamming into the tree. Checking his ki reserves, the part of his lifeforce he used for fighting, Ranma was shocked to find them almost completely depleted. For a person like Ranma, who used his ki to do almost everything, having no ki was almost like being blind, deaf, and moving through a world filled with molasses.

Ranma finally looked up, and to his credit, Nephrite was staring at the pigtailed teenager in absolute shock. "I can't believe you're still conscious!" he exclaimed. "That's amazing."

Ranma couldn't help but smile at the praise even as he wobbled on his feet, but he also had decided. "That...that Art of yours is awesome. If you're still willing, I'd love to learn more. Just...just let me rest a little first."

With that, Ranma's strength finally gave out. The last thing he saw was his new sensei rushing forward to catch him.

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Nephrite cradled the form of his new student, his mind still filled with amazement at the boy's fighting skill and raw spiritual strength. Dazedly, Nephrite observed the battlefield. The last battle had done more damage to the environment, but that was because Ranma had not controlled his lifeforce at all. Last time, his battle aura, as the boy called it, created a wind that whipped through the clearing and scattered debris everywhere.

This time, Ranma had kept his ki, as Nephrite remembered him calling his lifeforce, tightly focused and attacked with far more control, speed, strength, and skill. Rather than fighting as a feral, wild animal, Ranma showed just how good a warrior from Terra could be, and it was obvious to the dark general that the pigtailed boy would have won the exchange had Nephrite not used any of his vast repertoire of constructs.

The most striking features of the battleground were the trees Ranma had hit after Nephrite blasted him with the negaforce bolt: one completely snapped and lying on its side and the second, a crater almost halfway through its trunk. Beyond that, more subtle damage, like the small chunks missing from the trunk of one tree, indicated where Nephrite had managed to dodge Ranma's ki-enhanced strikes. The force of the air pressure alone had ripped bits of wood from the living trees.

"You just rest now, my young friend," said Nephrite, shaking his head. "I have a feeling that you are going to be a very powerful negawarrior."

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Ranma was asleep, the latest training session having taken a lot out of him. Nephrite reflected on his pupil as he sat next to the small fire, a hot cup of tea in his hand. Every once in a while, the dark general would take a sip, savoring its flavor.

Ranma was making great progress in learning the ways of the Negaverse; in three short weeks the boy had already managed to prepare his lifeforce to contain negaforce without being annihilated. This was an unprecedented feat in and of itself: Nephrite himself had required nearly four months of training before he'd come even this far. The negawarrior couldn't suppress a smirk: Ranma would be powerful, definitely more so than Nephrite himself and perhaps even more so than Kunzite. At least, one day he would be.

The unconscious smirk fell away from Nephrite's face as his mind moved forward to the next stage of Ranma's training. Training to accept negaforce was one thing, but it was much harder to actually draw it from the Negaverse. And this was Ranma's next step. Nephrite believed the boy to be ready, but there was always a chance that a negawarrior would be destroyed each time he drew on anti-lifeforce, and though that chance became almost non-existent by the time one was as skilled and experienced as Nephrite, it would be very dangerous the first few times Ranma did it.

Of course, that assumed that Ranma was able to defeat his reflection.

Nephrite sighed. The boy's capabilities, while astonishing, still were not great enough for the dark general to risk him in the final test yet. Looking into the fire, Nephrite took the final sip of tea from his cup and set it down gently. If he was to continue the boy's training, the negawarrior would need to replenish his reserves, and thus, it was time to go.

Concentrating on the illusion he set around their campsite to keep out unwanted visitors, Nephrite placed a small reservoir of lifeforce into the carefully made construct. This would keep the shield active without his presence to continue feeding it...at least for a time. Of course, the construct would eventually deplete the energy, but it would be enough for a full day. Besides, Nephrite planned on returning before dawn.

Quietly, so he wouldn't wake his sleeping student, the negawarrior stood and crept out of the campsite and headed for one of the nearby villages.

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"Alright Ranma," Nephrite said as the pigtailed girl finished a twenty kilometer run. I think that's enough physical training for the moment. Let's work on those meditation techniques I taught you."

Ranma nodded to her sensei and immediately knelt in seiza, closing her eyes and focusing inward. After a few seconds the faint blue glow of her lifeforce was visible as a corona around her form.

Studying his student using constructs designed specifically for the purpose of judging when an aspiring negawarrior was ready for the final challenge, Nephrite once again gauged her abilities. Her lifeforce was properly configured for the transition, and her will did not allow the configuration to waver in the slightest. That was the most important part of the training, and in only the six weeks since starting, she was already as far along as Nephrite was at nine months. If Ranma continued to soak up training this well, she would be ready for induction only nine weeks into her training, a completely amazing and unheard of feat.

More than satisfied with his student's progress, Nephrite slipped into his own meditative trance.

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Nephrite headed back to camp after helping three more villagers get a good, long night's sleep, this time from one of the towns to the north. Training a new negawarrior, even one of Ranma's obvious skill, was trying and difficult work. Teaching him to see, create, and manipulate even the simplest of constructs without the annihilation energy to power them meant holding those lines for hours, and that was no easy task. Strangely, a powered construct was much easier to hold, but it was much harder to perceive with the unaided eye. Certainly there were sensory enhancement constructs that made it easy for a negawarrior to see the lines, but without the negaforce that was unavailable to Ranma before induction, there was no way to power them.

That simple paradox was one of the greatest reasons that negawarriors had always been rare; that, and the fact that the final test was either successful or lethal, without exception. Even exceptionally gifted negawarriors, such as he and his fellow generals, took at least a year to learn their craft before induction, so Ranma's progress was nothing short of a miracle.

"So," a voice startled the dark general out of his musings. "Where do you go every night, anyway?"

The question, spoken in Ranma's voice, made Nephrite realize he was back at their camp, and his student was awake. Ranma was in her female form, having taken a bath after dinner, and she was sitting on a log next to the fire, obviously well tended. That meant that the redhead had been awake for a while, probably since just after Nephrite left.

"I needed to replenish my reserves," answered the dark general. "I've already taught you how to power constructs, even if you can't access the negaforce yet."

Ranma nodded. "So how do you do that?"

Knowing his student, this would be the thing she liked least about becoming a negawarrior, but he owed it to Ranma to tell her about it. "Negawarriors do it by draining lifeforce from people."

Ranma's eyes widened at his words, and then narrowed dangerously. "Exactly when were you intending to tell me that?"

Nephrite sighed. He had known this conversation was inevitable, but he just didn't know how tell his student. "I was going to tell you before the final test, certainly, but the time never seemed right."

Even as he spoke, the dark general winced at his wording, and from Ranma's raised eyebrow, it was obvious that he had messed up by not telling her. This was not going well.

"So to use your Art, I have to be some kind of energy vampire?" Ranma asked hotly. "And you didn't think I needed to know this sooner?" That last came out as a shout.

Growling, Nephrite grated, "We didn't always have to do it this way! The annihilation of lifeforce and negaforce is one of the most powerful and efficient sources of energy in either the Universe or Negaverse. When I first became a negawarrior, sorcerers used their magic to create crystals that would draw in and condense the ambient lifeforce of a planet, and the draining constructs were used to draw from them. I already told you that there was a barrier between the Universe and the Negaverse for twenty millennia, and almost all the lifeforce crystals that remain in the Dark Kingdom are completely drained. Even if we can transport them to Terra, it will still take years for them to recharge naturally, and no human sorcerers remain, from what you've told me, to make new ones."

Ranma digested this information in silence, and Nephrite continued in a calmer voice. "I don't particularly like draining humans for energy, but I can always do it without endangering their lives. The drain only puts them to sleep for a few hours while their bodies replenish the lost lifeforce; it doesn't actually hurt them."

The Saotome heir looked dubious about that, but without saying more, Ranma walked away from her sensei and back to her bedroll. Nephrite sighed, heating some water in a kettle for a calming cup of tea.

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Since Nephrite wasn't trying to instruct him, the next day found Ranma sitting alone beside the stream, thinking hard. What the dark general had told him the previous night weighed heavily on the pigtailed boy's mind, and he pondered the meaning. On the surface, the idea of draining people was abhorrent, but as he thought about it, it really wasn't as bad as it seemed. The people weren't hurt in the process, just rendered unconscious, and without the extra ki gained by draining, he knew a negawarrior would eventually die from negaforce exposure, that question answered the first time he looked at Nephrite's aura. The greatest factor, however, was one of the reasons he asked to learn his sensei's Art: if he had been stronger, he could have saved his father and maybe even avoided killing.

In addition to these factors, Ranma also thought about the power he was considering refusing. Perhaps he had enough ki to power all his constructs himself, or maybe he could create something similar to those lifeforce crystals Nephrite mentioned. Of course, if he never tried, he would never know.

Throughout the morning and into the afternoon, Ranma sat and pondered, even thoughts of training and food were pushed to the side in the face of his decision. Weighing and reweighing the sides of the argument, he finally came to his decision as evening arrived, and with decision came resolution.

Walking confidently back to where Nephrite was already cooking dinner, Ranma sat down next to the fire and watched his sensei. The older man looked weighed down by heavy emotions, and while the former martial artist couldn't see his aura well enough to determine exactly what those emotions were, he had a pretty good idea. Nephrite had reacted pretty badly to Ranma's accusation about being an energy vampire, and now that he looked back without the strong emotion of the moment, he felt regret for coming down on his benefactor so hard.

"Nephrite," he said quietly, gaining the older man's attention. "If you'll have me, I'd still like to learn your Art."

Stopping what he was doing, Nephrite gave him a serious look. "Ranma," he replied gravely. "You understand that once you complete the final challenge, once you become a true negawarrior, the change is irreversible, correct? There's no going back after that point."

Ranma did remember the dark general mentioning that earlier in his training, but he'd thought less of it before he realized where the power came from. Still, his decision was made, and he nodded solemnly at the brown-haired man.

A slow, sincere smile spread across Nephrite's face, and he said, "Very well then, Ranma. We'll get back to work tomorrow."

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Author's Notes:

I know this is a very short installment for being a part of a chapter, but it really felt right to distinguish this part from the other side. In my original outline all the chapters were a single part, but I don't want to imagine chapter 3 as a single part. I mean, I've only finished 4 of 9 parts, and none of them are less than 14,000 words! The difference between dealing with his father's death and beginning his training as a negawarrior is enough to warrant a split in the chapter, so that's what I did. One of the biggest review issues in later chapters was Ranma's easy acceptance of energy draining, and with this rewrite, I'm trying to put it to rest. This is what I envisioned, but I didn't write nearly as exhaustively in the original versions of these chapters. Now, with the rewrite, I'm lining things up better.

Unfortunately, this chapter's inclusion in the fic might mess up the ffnet review system a bit (moving all subsequent chapters forward without moving their reviews), and while I regret doing so, I do believe that the story will be better for it.

Once again, I'd like to thank my prereaders for their much-appreciated advice and proofreading. Until next time.


	4. Chapter 2 E1: Nephrite

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon Crossover Fanfic by jimra

In no way do I claim to own Qinghai providence or any of its residents or visitors, real or imagined, in any way, shape, or form. However, since they don't appear in this story, I will claim several of the Steppes of Russia and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Chapter Two: Battles Under the Evening Star

Episode One: Nephrite – Forgotten Sunset

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Eyes closed, Ranma took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly through his mouth as he relaxed his muscles. While the teenager repeated the process, he used his ki to sense the world around him, just as his father had taught him. Emptying his mind, the pigtailed boy could feel the grass under his feet, the trees surrounding the clearing, and even the smallest living thing, their ki burning bright before his mind's eye. However, all of this paled when compared to what the dark-haired martial artist turned warrior sensed from the other man standing across the clearing from him.

Nephrite's aura was wildly different from anything Ranma had ever seen, and the first time he'd noticed it the pigtailed boy broke his meditative trance in surprise. The most readily apparent point of interest about Nephrite's aura was the darkness. After some analysis, Ranma had determined that his sensei's dark aura was not the black ki of hatred; it was more like the darkness of space than the almost oil-like, thick, heavy ki created by hatred and malice. It simply seemed to be an absence of ki, a void where Nephrite had depleted the surrounding area of its ambient lifeforce.

As Nephrite had explained it after Ranma had gotten his first good look at the dark general's aura, because of his training as a negawarrior, his very presence unconsciously absorbed lifeforce from the surrounding environment. Really, this effect was almost a survival instinct as opposed to an ability. The older man had already explained to his student about how, in order to contain and channel negaforce, a negawarrior had a certain 'up keep' to his reserves. "Think of it as a maintenance cost," Nephrite had said in an effort explain a mostly abstract concept to his not so philosophically–inclined student. "There is a constant drain on your reserves after you start channeling negaforce. It's tiny, but it's always there."

Looking past the outer darkness of his sensei's aura, Ranma marveled once again at how ordered Nephrite's aura actually was. Beneath the ki void, the meditating boy could see two very distinct pockets of ki, one larger than the other, almost encompassing the smaller one. The large one was Nephrite's own essence while the other was what he called his reserves. Recently, the dark general had taught Ranma how to regimen his own aura in the same way, and even now, the former martial artist could feel the separation of his own ki if he tried to sense it.

Even with the strangeness of the ki void, that still didn't prepare Ranma for what he saw when he looked at Nephrite's reserves for the first time. It was strange, actually: within the negawarrior's reserve was a huge amount of ki compressed into a very small space, and while it all seemed to be a part of Nephrite's overall aura, there were overtones and small currents that didn't seem to belong. Considering the ki void, Ranma had come to the conclusion that those strange abnormalities were from the ambient lifeforce his sensei unconsciously absorbed from his environment, but a week earlier, Nephrite had revealed that negawarriors must drain ki from other people to fuel their constructs. Either way, since Ranma wasn't doing any absorption or draining yet, the ki in his reserves didn't have those oddities.

After a moment more of idle thought, Ranma forced his mind to stop wandering. While interesting, the lessons about ordering his aura were over; Nephrite said that this day, this test, would be the last before Ranma could attempt the final challenge to become a negawarrior himself.

Taking one more calming breath, Ranma opened his eyes and turned to face Nephrite. The older man nodded once, and Ranma dropped into a low stance, one good for both attack and defense but not overly much emphasis on either position. Without any more warning, teacher charged student, leading off with a vicious upper cut.

As expected, the younger man dodged the fierce blow, and both combatants blurred as they fought without holding back. Between blocking a two-kick combination and dodging a spear hand aimed at his right shoulder, Ranma quickly remembered Nephrite's last words to him before the fight.

"Ranma," Nephrite had said, a seriousness in his voice that Ranma had rarely heard from the older man. "In this match, hold nothing back. Let's not kill each other, but this must be an accurate test of your fighting ability. I have to be certain you are ready for the final challenge before I'll let you attempt it."

At the time, Ranma had nodded without really understanding, but now his mentor's words became clear. As he ducked under a left hook and let loose with a rapid punching attack at Nephrite's gut, Ranma realized just how bad this 'final challenge' must be. If his sensei didn't believe him to be more than ready to face what ever it was he would have to face, then Ranma wouldn't be doing it. In a way, it was a very good feeling that someone wouldn't just throw him to the wolves, but on the other hand, Saotome Ranma doesn't lose. He might suffer setbacks or even be defeated, but he never gave up. And eventually, he always won.

Suddenly, Ranma's thoughts were rudely interrupted as Nephrite upped the pace of the fight by drawing on his negawarrior abilities. A punch blazing with dark power slammed into his gut, throwing the young warrior back over five meters, but Ranma was more determined than ever. Calling up a blazing blue battle aura, Ranma flipped in the air, landed in a crouch, and launched himself at his mentor.

Once again, as had happened so many times since Ranma had agreed to become Nephrite's student, a battle of blue light and inky darkness raged in the small clearing. Neither warrior was visible as a human, but instead, it appeared that two balls of energy, each with a blurred, amorphous core, were battling for supremacy in the secluded grassy meadow in the middle of the woods.

Amazingly, both fighters managed to keep this pace for almost six minutes before dropping to either side of the clearing, both breathing heavily. His aura still blazing around him, Ranma once again sized up his opponent. Nephrite was pushing this fight well beyond any other match he'd had with Ranma, and the pigtailed boy knew it. The intensity of the battle was beyond anything Ranma had done during his training journey, and it was for that reason that Ranma loved every second of it. 'Of course,' thought Ranma as Nephrite charged him again, 'I wouldn't have minded a slightly longer break.

As the negawarrior charged him, Ranma set his stance to take his sensei down with a high clothesline maneuver, but at the last second the pigtailed warrior ducked low with a sweep. However, this was not to be; Nephrite's black aura flashed darkly and vanished, taking the negawarrior with it. Ranma stood, and with wide eyes, he looked for his sensei.

'How on earth did he do—' Ranma's thoughts were rudely interrupted as a kick connected with his lower back, and the pigtailed boy's face was introduced to the trunk of a nearby tree, up close and personal.

Sliding down from the indention he'd made, Ranma's only thoughts were, 'That...really...hurt.' Nevertheless, Ranma forced himself to stand and face his opponent, and the smirk on Nephrite's face was easily enough to propel the black-haired warrior back into the battle.

Bringing his battle aura under tight control and further increasing his physical ki use, Ranma leapt up about three meters before pushing off of the tree he'd so recently rammed into, launching himself at his sensei. Nephrite didn't move as his student flew in for a vicious, gravity accelerated attack, and Ranma allowed a confident smirk to form on his face. Just before he finally connected, Ranma saw the change in Nephrite's face, something so miniscule that most wouldn't have noticed. Gasping internally, the youth made a split-second decision and changed his trajectory ever so slightly.

When his hands should have struck Nephrite's chest, Ranma instead struck an invisible shield, but he surprised his sensei by using the shield as a pivot instead of slamming full force into the barrier. Ranma flipped over his sensei's head, and before the dark general could react, the pigtailed boy's foot struck Nephrite's back with the force of a charging boar, sending the negawarrior flying.

Ranma landed just in time to see Nephrite slam into another of the many trees surrounding their clearing, and the evil smile on his face seemed to say, 'Gotcha back!' However, his satisfaction was not to last, and as he watched, Nephrite vanished from where his face was buried in the tree trunk.

Ranma immediately dropped into a crouch and strained his senses, trying to gain foreknowledge of where Nephrite would reappear, and the pigtailed boy was rewarded with a sudden impression of his sensei's aura directly above him. Rolling away on instinct and adrenaline alone, Ranma just barely managed to dodge a knee drop that would have connected with his upper back.

Faster than he could think of the moves, Ranma propelled himself back at the other man, and once again, blue ki-infused attacks met black annihilation-powered blocks in a rapid fight for supremacy. The glowing former martial artist almost allowed himself to become overconfident as Nephrite gave ground, not seeming to have a chance to counterattack through the storm of blows Ranma rained down on the older man, but the look of concentration on Nephrite's face and his earlier surprises kept the younger man from underestimating his opponent.

After two minutes of this continuous assault, Nephrite finally made his move. Flashing his student a smile, the dark general took a step back and dropped his guard. Expecting another shield, Ranma jumped back, but suddenly, the pigtailed youth felt a burning strike in the middle of his back. As he stood there frozen in shock, Ranma could feel his ki draining away, but his eyes were still on Nephrite, still standing before him, unmoving.

A whisper in his ear finally made the whole ruse clear in the younger man's wavering mind. "You lose," whispered the voice of Ranma's sensei, his breath hot on the pigtailed boy's ear, and then the world went white.

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The blast was a big one, and Nephrite, being more exhausted than he'd thought, was barely able to shield himself from its high-energy fury. Ranma had far more energy than the inventor of that construct expected in any one person, and when the technique reached its conclusion, the detonation was quite a bit more massive than the negawarrior had expected. Nephrite knelt as the force of blast tried to overwhelm his hastily erected shield.

As the blast finally faded, Nephrite blinked away the spots in his vision, his head pounding from the sudden bright light and pressure wave, but once the negawarrior had recovered his vision he could only gape at the sight around him.

The clearing was relatively destroyed: trees, broken at odd angles or uprooted wholesale, littered the area, and Nephrite stood in a three meter deep crater where the blast had blown the soil and grass away. The explosion of uncontrolled, annihilated lifeforce and negaforce, one of the oldest and most basic of all the negawarrior constructs, had ripped the clearing turned training ground apart.

Nephrite stood staring at the devastation, dazed, until he remembered his student. At the thought of Ranma, unshielded from this furious blast of raw energy, Nephrite became frantic, fearing for the life of his student and friend. Employing his negaforce abilities, Nephrite ran, jumped, and teleported from spot to spot, searching for the pigtailed youth, hoping for the best but fearing the visage of a broken, and dead, Ranma.

In his haste, Nephrite's aura burned blackly in the late morning sunlight, and his path was littered with charred footprints where he had briefly stood, searching the remnants of the clearing. The negawarrior, his strength enhanced by the continuous stream of lifeforce and negaforce combining in a simple construct, threw broken trees from his path, his eyes darting from one place to another.

After ten minutes of searching, Nephrite finally saw a scrap of red cloth under the broken fragments of several trees. Not wasting a moment, the negawarrior made a telekinesis construct and immediately fueled it to its limit with annihilation power, the force of his will practically flinging the offending material from the possible body of his student.

As the now splintered remains of several trees flew off in a random direction, the brown-haired man teleported to the spot, but he fell to his knees at what he saw. Ranma lay there, cuts and bruises covering his body. At first Nephrite thought the boy was dead, but as he forced himself to work through shock and fear, he found that his student was breathing slowly and he had a pulse, albeit both signs of life were weak. Worse, to Nephrite's negawarrior senses, Ranma's lifeforce seemed to flicker like the flame of a candle in high wind.

Manipulating the remaining lifeforce in his reservoir, the dark general placed his hands on Ranma's chest and began to shore up the pigtailed boy's own lifeforce. The older man's eyes widened as he felt the boy unconsciously latch onto the lifeline and begin to draw even more lifeforce from Nephrite's reserves than the slightly bishonen man was offering. 'Ranma shouldn't be able to do this,' thought Nephrite as Ranma began to deplete his reserves at an alarming rate. 'He couldn't possibly have this much lifeforce; it's just not possible for a single being to actually contain such energy without post-induction negawarrior training and conditioning!'

As Nephrite felt the last of his reserves go dry from his student's unconscious reaction, the dark general became increasingly alarmed when he felt the sensation. 'It's not possible...' he thought as shock began to take over, and the older man felt the same sweet agony he'd always associated with sacrificing some of his own lifeforce to fuel his constructs. 'He's actually draining my lifeforce!'

When Nephrite discovered that Ranma's unconscious action had gone beyond his reserves, the dark general instinctively tried to pull away, but like touching a live wire, as he tried to pull his hands from the pigtailed youth's chest, the flow of energy from Nephrite into Ranma began to pulse.

Nephrite screamed as his lifeforce fluctuated, his muscles spasming violently, but his hands wouldn't leave his student's chest. After a few moment of this, the negawarrior finally forced down the pain, and his face became determined, even fierce. Focusing all of his will, Nephrite pulled away with all of his might, and for one agonizing moment, he thought that he wouldn't be able to pull free of the powerful lifeforce drain. But finally, he wrenched his hands free of the torn red silk that had once been Ranma's shirt.

Nephrite collapsed next to his student, panting. Not only were his reserves completely empty, but Ranma had also managed to drain over half of his actual lifeforce. The dark general tried to lift himself off of the ground, but after two minutes of trying with no success, he let out a weak groan and dropped back to his place on the ground.

'At least Ranma is alright,' thought Nephrite as the blissful unconsciousness of a healing trance overtook his mind on instinct alone.

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When the blinding flash of light and the pressure wave struck him, Ranma thought he was dead. Besides having almost no ki from what ever technique Nephrite had used, he was too stunned from the savage blow to his spine to even attempt a dodge, and he could do nothing as he flew through the air, having barely enough energy to roll with his fall. The ground was unmercifully hard, and Ranma's last memory of the waking world was the sight of a splintered and broken tree flying through the air toward him.

Now, Ranma lay in darkness, consciousness having blessedly fled from his mind, but he was still aware. There had been a few times in the past that he'd retreated to the depths of his mind, and he knew them well. The first time he'd visited had been during the Nekoken training; to escape the fear and pain, Ranma retreated within himself. His father had never told him what had happened after, but Ranma hoped that he'd only become catatonic.

Of course, this latest trip to the darkness was unique, much like most everything else he'd experienced since becoming Nephrite's student. This time, instead of the void being warm and comforting, it was cold, barren, and lifeless. Ranma shivered as the chill tried to creep into his bones, and the pigtailed boy curled himself into a ball, shaking with cold and fear. Ranma found himself unable to move, unable to see, even unable to think; the need to find warmth was too great, an all-consuming urge to find light in that dark place and escape the cold and the fear.

Just as the pigtailed boy thought he would be driven insane by the inexpressively powerful urge, a distant thread of warmth drew his attention. Looking in the direction of the aberrant heat, Ranma began to move toward it with out a thought, the instinct drawing him to it as strong as that to survive. The tiny trickle of warmth continued to flow into the frozen dark, and Ranma rushed toward it with the fervor of a man starved three months and then presented with a banquet.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity of desperate striving, Ranma reached the trickle of heat, and the boy latched onto the flow, drawing it into his frozen awareness. As he felt the energy flow into him, Ranma began to relax, his panic fading in the comforting warmth. He even thought that there was something familiar about this heat...something he knew, but it wasn't himself.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the flow of energy seemed to slow, and Ranma's fear and panic came back, greater than before. 'NO!' thought the pigtailed boy. 'Don't leave me alone again!'

With that, Ranma exerted his will on the tiny thread of heat. Pulling on the trickle, Ranma managed to draw more energy into himself than the initial thread provided. Latching onto the flow like a man addicted, Ranma pulled harder, and as he felt the energy flowing into him, the resistance began.

A light, almost toying tug through the energy flow at first, it began to grow as Ranma continued to draw and absorb more by sheer instinct and force of will. When the awareness that was Ranma started pulling harder, the resisting force began to struggle against the action, but now, rather than playful, the tug seemed almost panicky and fearful. This might have meant something to Ranma under normal circumstances, but by this point, the former martial artist was fighting with the fury and mindless rage of an addict getting his next fix. An almost bloodlust had come over the young man, and as the flow began to fluctuate with his anger, he grasped the now rope of warmth and gave it a sharp, strong tug. A smile crossed his face as he could sense his opponent scream, and Ranma continued his war for warmth.

Finally, after another eternity of battle, Ranma pulled sharply with all of his might, and went flying. It was the same as when someone cuts a rope being used for tug of war, and Ranma's awareness rocketed away into the dark depths of his unconscious. However, Ranma didn't care any more: the darkness around him was once more warm and comforting, the war for energy a successful one.

Ranma slowed, and gradually, his awareness faded from the unconscious...

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...and crossed over into the waking world.

Ranma's eyes fluttered open, and he stared into the starry night sky of China. The stars twinkled brightly in the moonless sky, and the pigtailed boy took a deep, cleansing breath, drinking in the peace of the night. The air was cool and still, not a breath of wind disturbed the waking warrior, and Ranma drew in the silence of the clearing, utterly devoid of all sound.

As the night gave peace to the pigtailed warrior, Ranma allowed his mind to relax, trying to forget the dream of furious battle and absolute need. On a night as peaceful and quiet as this, how could such a debacle not be a dream?

Sensations filtered into the dark-haired boy's mind, and Ranma listened and responded to each in turn in a methodical, relaxed attitude. After the outside world, the youth decided to listen to the queued messages his body had sent while he slept.

Most were messages that he was stiff and a bit sore, but to a person who trains every day and has done so since almost before he could walk, this variety of signal was very common. Ranma responded to the messages by methodically stretching each muscle in his body, in no hurry to get up and leave the peace he had so recently attained.

The other signals his body had sent to be perused by his brain at its leisure where rather strange, and when he finally decided to look at them, Ranma paused in his stretches. The oddity recorded by his internal senses was in his ki; more specifically, in the area of his ki that he now used as his 'reserves.' The pigtailed warrior quickly analyzed his own aura, and what he found there was enough of a shock to drive the peace and silence of the night from his being. While the ki in Ranma's reserves still, overall, seemed like his own, the same undercurrents and overtones he'd sensed in his sensei now ran through his own reservoir.

Ranma gasped and sat up as he looked at his own aura only to receive his second bad shock of the night: the clearing around him was utterly destroyed. The pigtailed boy's eyes ran over every splintered and broken tree, every piece of dirt or grass that was strewn over the now cratered ground, the terrain obviously surprising him.

However, that wasn't the last shock the black-haired warrior would receive in the once peaceful night. Ranma's eyes widened when, as he surveyed the damage, he saw Nephrite. At that point, Ranma's level of shock had rolled around to cold calculation, and he looked at the body of his sensei with a critical, practiced eye.

Nephrite was breathing slowly and shallowly, and the negawarrior was clearly unconscious. When Ranma felt for the man's pulse, it was weak, but still strong enough that the student knew that his sensei would survive. The strangest part of the whole scene was that Nephrite didn't have a scratch on him; despite the man's weak life signs and pale complexion, there was no indication of what could have put him in this state.

Ranma shrugged. Figuring that questions could wait until the older man was awake, and that practicality overruled curiosity and worry, the dark-haired youth picked Nephrite up in a fireman's carry and began to pick his way back to their campsite.

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Author's Notes:

Originally, I had just a chapter called 'Battles Under the Evening Star' in my outline, but about halfway through writing this one part, I decided that I needed to break the chapter up if I was ever going to post anything (my schedule is a bit too packed right now to devote much time to writing, sorry), so now there are three parts to Chapter Two. I hope I can get Part Two of this chapter (called Ranma – Fading Light) out soon, but I doubt my schedule will allow for it. Besides, I told Poly I'd write the next chapter of Three, so that's what I'm gonna do. Also, I now have a pre-reader for this story (Yay!), so thanks, Talon.


	5. Chapter 2 E2: IitP Chosen

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

About the only thing I'd like to know is if I should even continue to write these disclaimers. Oh well, why not, right? Oops, that's all the space I'd allocated for a disclaimer. You'll just have to catch a funny one next time.

Chapter Two: Battles Under the Evening Star

Episode Two: Interludes into the Past — Chosen

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The flames of the small campfire flickered in the cool night breeze, the fire casting dancing shadows about the small campsite. A short distance away was a scene of devastation: trees uprooted wholesale or splintered to lay on the ground and a crater, three meters deep, spoke of a tremendous explosion. Certainly, modern weaponry could do much better, but when one considers that this particular damage was caused by a hand-to-hand combat session between two men, the event approaches incredulity.

Next to the fire, two men, the very same two that caused all the damage to the formerly small clearing, lay on the ground. One, wearing grey, uniform-like clothing, was apparently unconscious, his eyes closed and his body still but for the regular rise and fall of his chest. The other, lying across from the first man, was watching him intently, his once-white gi stained with weeks of travel and training. As he watched the unconscious, brown-haired man, the gi-clad man let out a sigh.

'He's been out for three hours now,' Ranma thought. 'What am I gonna do? This...thing is a little outta my experience.'

The pigtailed boy's face twisted into a grimace. 'I don't even know what happened to him,' his mind continued. 'First, I was unconscious, and when I came to, then Nephrite was.'

Once again, a sigh sounded from the young man. He dropped his eyes to the ground, remembering. Thoughts of a dark, cold place drifted through his mind, the cheery crackling fire doing nothing to shake the chill from his bones. Recollection of the battle that occurred there caused him to shudder, the feeling of animal instinct, need, scaring him for some unknown reason.

Certainly, he was familiar with the feeling. The Nekoken was exactly like that, with the vague memories of a dark, warm place filling his mind every time he was released from the technique, but this time it was different. The cold was frightening, although he would never admit it to anyone besides himself.

The slight rustle of cloth against cloth brought Ranma's eyes up in a flash; Nephrite stirred restlessly in his sleep. The motion was almost enough to bring a sigh of relief to the young warrior's lips, but he held his breath instead, waiting for a better sign. A moment later, the dark general's eyes clenched, then fluttered open, and he stared groggily across the fire toward his student.

Ranma was up in a flash, the cup of cool water that had sat next to him in his hand. Kneeling next to his sensei, he mirrored Nephrite's actions of only a few weeks previous, sliding his hand underneath the dark general's curly brown hair and lifting his head toward the cup.

He let the negawarrior drink slowly, never allowing the water to spill as he gave Nephrite small sips. For his part, the grey uniformed man's eyes bespoke his gratitude. After a moment, Ranma took the cup from the older man's lips and said, "Are you feeling up to speaking?"

A slight shake of Nephrite's head was the only response Ranma received, but the pigtailed boy nodded once and resumed his place across the fire from his mentor, the negawarrior closing his eyes once more. And so the night passed, Ranma alternating between caring for Nephrite and sinking into deep reverie.

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'Did he really drain me so much?'

The words surprised even the one who thought them. Nephrite's consciousness drifted in inky darkness as the healing trance continued to repair his body at an accelerated rate, and in turn, his healed body and reduced activity was slowly replenishing his lost lifeforce. If he stayed in this trance beyond the need to repair his body and lifeforce, he could even begin to refill his reserves, albeit at an almost unimaginably slow rate. That particular added benefit to being on Terra rather than in the Negaverse had been well and truly forgotten during the Dark Kingdom's long disconnection with the Universe, but Nephrite was grateful for it in any case.

'Maybe I should be more careful of what constructs I use against him,' thought the dark general, his mind searching for anything interesting in the absolute boredom of a healing trance. 'Oh well; he's just full of surprises. I should have learned that within the first day of teaching him.'

The personality that was Nephrite shrugged its ephemeral shoulders at that thought. There really wasn't much else to do. Unable to think of anything else interesting externally, the negawarrior's mind turned inward, and he began to mentally catalogue the constructs he knew, starting with the most basic.

'The simplest constructs: draining and storing extra lifeforce in a pattern, usually starting with one's own,' he thought, remembering his own instruction in negaforce. However, instead of continuing on that track, his mind instead drifted away into memory. 'It's been so long. Has it really been twenty millennia since I was a Guardian of Terra?'

With that, Nephrite's consciousness sank gently into reverie.

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A twenty five year old Nephrite stood at attention as his unit was inspected, his uniform immaculate. There was actually a glare from his highly polished boots, and his grey dress uniform showed neither wrinkle nor speck of lint. His rank insignia, recognizing him as a Captain in the 3rd Terran Special Forces Battalion, gleamed against the dark grey uniform. It was a Brigadier General, the commanding officer of his division, that was inspecting the squad under his command, and Nephrite was absolutely certain that his men were completely ready and in tip-top condition.

After walking down the single rank of the seven-man squad, General Edenite stopped and turned to look him in the eye. Nephrite really had to wonder how Edenite managed to remain so absolutely cute after over fifteen years in the Special Operations Division; even though she had to be at least thirty five years old, she still managed to look like a very, very cute sixteen year old with light green hair. The only things that belied that impression were her eyes: cold chips of slate-grey ice that burned chillingly into anyone she saw. In her hand was a standard orders scroll, which she held out to him as she spoke. "Captain Nephrite," she said, her voice cold and hard from her many long and decidedly difficult battles in the Special Forces Division, "I have new orders for you. You are hereby relieved of squad command and reassigned to the Palace Guard. Report to the base personnel teleporter at oh four hundred for transfer."

Even at attention, even with three years in the Special Operations Division, Nephrite couldn't keep the surprise off of his face. "Ma'am!" he said, regardless of his brain's orders to remain silent and at attention. "Why would General Calinite reassign me?!"

Edenite's face twisted into a cute and strangely disturbing scowl at his protest, and her voice seemed to become harder, if that was possible. "It is not your place or mine to question General Calinite's orders, Captain! You will report as ordered in dress uniform and prepare for an audience with His Majesty upon arrival at the Palace! Now GET MOVING!"

Nephrite's eyes widened with every word that spat at him through the Brigadier's clenched teeth, and with the final, almost shouted word, the Captain almost involuntarily saluted and ran to his bunk, her words a definite dismissal. As Nephrite packed his few belongings into his dimensionally enhanced field pack, he vaguely heard Edenite promote his second-in-command to his former position; however, his mind was in no position to contemplate this as it was entirely consumed with the thought of an audience with His Majesty, King Endymion. 'What could the King possibly require of me?'

A giddy feeling of nervous excitement mixed with the icy chill of dread filled his belly as he slung the field pack over his shoulder and took one last look around the barracks that had been his home for nearly two years. 'I'm gonna miss this place,' he thought, but he didn't get any further into that feeling before his former second walked up to him.

"Gonna miss ya, Cap,' he said, a strange mixture of happiness and sadness mingling in his eyes above his normal, cocky smirk. He put a hand on Nephrite's shoulder, and very shortly Nephrite found himself in the midst of six large, deadly Special Forces operatives showing the incongruity of unshed tears glistening in their eyes. He almost laughed but for the knowledge that the same expression graced his own face. These men had been his family for three years; they were closer than brothers. They had been through some of the worst battles in which Terra had participated, surviving only by relying on each other. It was understandable that there might be a tearful farewell.

Choruses of "We'll miss ya, Cap," and "Besta luck at the Palace," came from the men, and Nephrite smiled at the well wishing. "You guys'll do fine without me," he replied. "I've seen you in battle."

After nearly an hour of well wishing and farewells from both former commanding officer and unit, Nephrite finally made his way out of the barracks. The reassurances of his now former unit had bolstered his confidence a great deal, and he strode across the base toward the teleport spire with his head held high. Once there, he returned the salutes of the corporals on guard duty and faced the teleport mage, a lieutenant.

"Captain," he said, saluting Nephrite smartly. "What can I do for you?"

Nephrite returned the younger man's salute made a quick note of his rank insignia before speaking. "I'm under reassignment orders, Lieutenant," he said as he offered the man the scroll. "I need to transfer to the Palace."

The Mage-Lieutenant took the scroll and quickly perused the contents, his eyes sliding across the page in an expert fashion. Of course, most orders scrolls were specially enchanted to allow only specific personnel to read certain portions, even more so in the Special Operations Division, and Nephrite could see the man's eyes skip most of the scroll. After only a moment of study, the teleport mage nodded once and handed the scroll back to Nephrite.

"Alright, Captain," he said in a professional voice. "The crystals need to warm up for about five minutes, and then I can perform the transfer. There are a couple of chairs over there where you can wait, sir." He nodded toward the right side of the room.

Nodding once, Nephrite replied, "Alright. Call me when you're ready."

"Yes, sir."

As the mage moved to begin casting the necessary spells to activate the teleportation matrix, Nephrite walked to one of the chairs and sat. 'The man must have trained for years to learn how to operate a teleportation matrix,' he thought idly. 'As far as I know, only Queen Serenity's Senshi and King Endymion's Guardians are powerful enough to teleport without one, and the complexities of the teleport spell, even with the aid of a matrix at each end, is near insanity.'

As he went over what little he knew of the teleport spell, mostly theory from the Academy, the teleport mage completed his incantation. The entire chamber glowed a soft, cheery yellow from the many storage crystals used to power the teleportation matrix, and the runes carved into the crystal platform that actually was the matrix crackled with yellow-white energy. Nephrite watched as arcs of seeming-electricity flowed through the channels and symbols carved in the teleport matrix, his magical training telling him that it was actually raw mana.

"Captain Nephrite," the Lieutenant's voice breaking Nephrite from his study. "I'm ready any time, sir."

Nephrite nodded and walked up the stairs to the dais, the hair on the back of his neck bristling as he stepped into the teleport matrix. Nephrite never had much talent for spells or sorcery other than operating some of the middlingly complex magical devices that were standard issue to soldiers, so he couldn't actually see the mana field, but anyone could feel a field strong enough for even a personnel teleporter. And Nephrite had been through a vehicle teleporter before: this was nothing compared to that.

From his position atop the teleport dais, Nephrite nodded to the teleport mage, and the younger Lieutenant nodded back before beginning the activation spell. Of course, he'd already prepared most of the spell in advance, and with the additional help of the teleport matrix and power storage crystals, Nephrite's view of the room disintegrated into a grey-white field.

Teleportation by device is disconcerting to most people the first time they do it, and while Nephrite was far from an unseasoned Private when it came to teleportation, he was still hard pressed to force down the queasy vertigo and disorientation that long-distance device teleports caused. 'At least this isn't a combat teleport,' he reflected. 'Those sometimes actually hurt.'

After what felt like half an eternity to Nephrite, his vision returned, and he looked around at the one of the many teleport chambers of Terra Palace. Nephrite knew intellectually that the teleport only took an instant of real time, but the time spent in nothingness always seemed so long. Glancing about, Nephrite took in the identical room; in fact, he would have assumed he was still in the same chamber if not for having used the teleportation matrixes before.

After a moment more of studying the room, Nephrite's eyes settled on a man in a grey uniform with white trim and black cape and close-cropped black hair streaked with stark white. The man, who had an undeniable aura of dignity and strength, was apparently waiting for him. The Captain's eyes narrowed for a moment as he struggled to place the other man and then widened when he realized who it was: Actinolite, commander of King Endymion's Guardians.

Nervous excitement easily tripling his earlier feeling assailed his mind from the depths of his stomach, and Nephrite approached one of his childhood heroes stiffly. His salute seemed too quick to his own mind, but Actinolite took no notice as he returned the salute, fist over heart. Nephrite offered the man his orders scroll, but Actinolite didn't take it.

"Captain Nephrite, I presume," he said, his voice a deep bass.

"Yes, sir." Nephrite replied, barely able to keep his voice from shaking in the presence of one of the most powerful men in the Sol system. "And you are Guardian-Commander Actinolite?"

The black-and-white-haired, middle-aged man nodded once, and motioned for Nephrite to accompany him from the teleportation chamber. The younger man easily fell into step with Actinolite, and after a few meter-eating strides, Actinolite spoke. "Captain, I don't need to see your orders because I wrote them. I've been following your career in the Special Operations Division for two years now, and I must say I've been quite impressed with your performance."

Nephrite almost burst from the swell of pride Actinolite's statement drew forth from his heart, but the Guardian-Commander took no notice and continued. "Because you've managed to impress me, I've recommended you to His Majesty for a very special assignment. The position is voluntary, but I wouldn't suggest that you turn it down."

Nephrite couldn't contain himself as Actinolite spoke and asked, "What assignment, sir?"

Actinolite stopped and looked at the younger, brown-haired man. Nephrite could almost see amusement in his serious, pale-green eyes. "His Majesty will inform you of the assignment, Captain. You should spend the rest of the walk to the throne room in preparation to meet him."

As they continued to stride through the Palace of Terra, Nephrite's breath quickened. The beauty of the place was lost on him as nervousness and combined shocks took their toll on his wits. Grand paintings infused with magic so that they would seem to move and beautiful sculptures were vaguely recognized and forgotten as he just tried to keep up with Actinolite, and the gurgling fountains that seemed to grace every intersection of corridors faded into the background as Nephrite tried to prepare himself to meet his liege. Certainly he had sworn an oath to serve and protect the Kingdom of Terra and King Endymion when he joined the army, but this was still the first time he would see the King up close and in person.

Finally, the two soldiers arrived at a huge set of beautifully carved oaken doors, the relief showing scenes of Terra in exquisite detail. The two guards saluted Actinolite before opening the doors, and Nephrite got his first look at the throne room of the Kingdom of Terra.

The chamber was at least fifty meters long by thirty wide, and seemed to be hewn from a single piece of marble: no seam where the stone was joined could be seen. Columns carved to look like tree trunks divided the room into thirds, and Nephrite could almost feel the magic that infused the pillars to defend the King should anyone attack. Down the center of the room from the main entrance to the raised dais where King Endymion presided over his court ran a deep red silk carpet, and courtiers stood in the outer two sections, milling about and talking quietly. Endymion himself was a study in splendor and true, kingly bearing. He wore the heavy gold and iron crown of Terra on his brow, and there was solemn look in his eyes as he sat at court. For a moment, Nephrite wondered why so many people would be in the throne room so early in the morning, but then he remembered that the Palace was about half way around the planet from his old base.

As Nephrite pondered, his body went ahead and followed Actinolite, and when the Captain came back to himself, he and the Guardian-Commander were standing even with the columns nearest to the throne. King Endymion was dealing with a petitioner, but Nephrite didn't have a chance to listen to what was said as Actinolite leaned close and spoke to him in a quiet voice. "You know what the King looks like from his speeches at least. Queen Alisa rarely joins the King in court. Standing on his right is Lord Ardoni; he's the King's Chief Advisor. On his left is Duchess Beryl, the King's cousin. She is visiting the court today, but when she is here, she has the King's ear. Be sure that you are especially polite to her; she's a bit touchy about rude people."

As Actinolite finished giving Nephrite advice, the current petitioner bowed to the King and merged with the other courtiers, and Nephrite got a jolt of adrenaline as Endymion's eyes alighted on him, their dark nature seeming to penetrate all his defenses and look upon his naked soul. Before Nephrite could so much as gather his wits, the King spoke, his voice deep and resonating throughout the stone chamber. "Who comes before Us?"

Actinolite stepped forward and addressed his king, his tone holding nothing but respect. "I bring before You the one You asked me to bring, my Liege."

"Very well then," the King intoned. "Step forward and present yourself to Us, Candidate."

Nephrite had just managed to regain his bearings when the King beckoned him forward, but when Endymion used the ceremonial title 'Candidate,' he could almost hear his wits hit the floor and scatter. Woodenly, he stepped forward and stiffly knelt before the King of Terra.

"M—My Liege," he stuttered, cursing himself for a fool as heard himself speak. "Wha—what do you com—mand of m—me?"

A small smile graced the Kings face for a moment, though it was gone so fast that Nephrite could almost believe he had imagined it. "Our eldest son is to come of age next year, and each member of Our line who shall take the burden of the Throne must have four Guardians, as you know has been Our tradition since time immemorial. Due to your exemplary service in Our Regular Army and Our Special Operations Division, you have been chosen as a candidate for the Guardianship of our Son, Crown Prince Endymion."

Nephrite was shaking, such was his excitement and surprise. All he could manage was a stammered "Yes, my Liege. Thank you." before Actinolite lead him from the throne room.

When Nephrite became aware of his surroundings once more, he was in a small room sitting on the single object contained therein, a small bed. Actinolite was standing in front of him, a small, strange smile on his face. "Well, Candidate, your training will begin bright and early tomorrow. I expect to see you in the east courtyard at oh five hundred sharp."

As he spoke, he sounded as though he was trying to inject a serious tone into his gruff voice, but little except amusement was evident to the younger Captain turned Guardian Candidate. "Oh," he added. "And try to conduct yourself a little closer to your age. Maybe as a teenager or something."

The smile on the man's face robbed the sting from his words, and without waiting for Nephrite to reply, Actinolite strode from the room, his cape billowing behind him as he walked.

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The inky darkness was slowly licked away by the flickering light of small tongues of flame, and the crackling of a small campfire shattered the silence of Nephrite's healing trance. Opening his eyes, Nephrite saw his student, asleep, on the other side of the fire, low now from lack of attention.

Pulling himself to a sitting position, Nephrite watched Ranma sleep, the pigtailed boy's face so gentle in silent repose, so unlike his anger in battle. The dark general couldn't help but smile as he thought about how similar and how different his female form's face was compared to the male one. His breath barely stirred the small wisps of grass in front of his face, and his chest moved so little that if Nephrite had been unable to sense lifeforce, he would have thought the boy dead.

Sensing Ranma's aura, he found that his student was completely calm, at peace. 'I hope that calm is justified, Ranma,' thought Nephrite, a small frown forming on his face, "and I hope you are ready for the final test."

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Author's Notes:

Talk about totally unplanned. This was supposed to be the second part of Chapter Two where Ranma would face the final test of becoming a Negawarrior, but once I got started with the flashback, I discovered that there would be no way I could write a unified chapter trying to divide it between Ranma and Nephrite, and I decided that these long flashbacks deserved their own parts (but not their own chapters). So, I added plans for three Interludes that will be nice long flashbacks to Nephrite's past. This project just seems to get longer and longer as I write it (just like all my other works...go fig). Oh well, enjoy!

A small bit of mineral trivia (since I changed some of the names for this minor rewrite to make them more accurate/true to SM canon) is that Nephrite is actually a variety of Actinolite, and Edenite is a related mineral to Actinolite. If you didn't know that all the generals of the Dark Kingdom/Guardians of Terra were named after minerals or if you don't care, then I guess you can just ignore this paragraph. Later.


	6. Chapter 2 E3: Ranma

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

Disclaimer? Naa, I hired Nabiki as my lawyer.

Chapter Two: Battles Under the Evening Star

Episode Three: Ranma – Fading Light

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Sunrise is a beautiful thing, especially to one who has seen so few in recent millennia. The slight lightening of the eastern horizon into a gentle almost-white blue played vanguard to an amazing array of colors. Orange shot through the sky and mingled with the clouds in a brilliant display of the wonder of Sol. Through all of this, Nephrite watched in childlike awe, his face showing not but joy at the wonder of Terra's sunrise. Thought and worry fled before the absolute brilliance of the shining light. So engrossed with nature's light show was he that the dark general failed to notice his student's arrival. Ranma sat quietly beside his sensei and watched the sunrise, his face showing an almost equal amount of joy and awe at the dawning of a new day.

Until the star's apparent position cleared the horizon, and the shining ball of superheated gas that Earth called its sun was displayed in the sky in all its glory, neither student nor teacher moved from their respective positions. Finally, as the oranges, reds, and yellows of sunrise gave way to the normal light of day and the familiar blue of the sky, the two warriors returned to the mundane existence of single entities living on a beautiful, living world.

"I've truly missed that sight," Nephrite remarked, his voice still consumed with the awe of the daily show of nature's frivolous beauty. "Twenty thousand years in a place of darkness can really make you appreciate a sight like that."

Ranma nodded slowly in reply, and Nephrite finally returned his mind to the matter that had originally awakened him upon the day's dawning. The dark thoughts of Ranma's final negawarrior test loomed in his mind, casting the shadows of worry over his lightened countenance, and the dark general turned to his protégé with a solemn expression.

"Ranma," he said gravely. "Today you may take the final test. There is no turning back if you choose to pursue this goal: you will either return triumphant or you will die. There is no middle ground in this endeavor. I, as your teacher, do judge you ready to face this final test, but if you wish to train more before undertaking this challenge, there is no dishonor in it. I would never fault you if you did not have absolute and supreme confidence in your ability to win in this most important of battles."

Ranma was silent for a moment as his sensei's speech came to an end, his face showing a conflict of emotion. Nephrite could see in the younger man's face some small amount of worry over the severity of failure, but predominate among Ranma's emotions was the complete confidence in his skills that the young warrior had always displayed before the negawarrior. Finally, both to Nephrite's pride and fear, the confidence won out, and Ranma replied, "I can do it. I want to do it now, today."

Not second guessing his pupil, Nephrite nodded once and motioned for Ranma to follow him. Without looking back, Nephrite began to walk away from their camp, and the dark general's senses and knowledge of his student assured him that Ranma was following close behind.

To Nephrite, nature's beauty was muted by the severity of the coming battle, the colors dulled as he concentrated on his next task. The birds' singing was drown out by the voices of doubt and worry assailing his mind, and the two warriors' steps, silent to all ears but their own, made a solemn procession through the forest.

After nearly half an hour of walking in silence, the two warriors finally came upon a clearing, the center predominated by a jagged spire of obsidian. The spike of volcanic glass, almost obelisk-like in shape, glinted dully in the morning light, its surface showing a distorted reflection of the surrounding area. Nephrite stood before the spire gazing quietly into its depths until Ranma joined him in contemplation. After a few more minutes of silence, Nephrite spoke. "Ranma, does something seem strange about this spire?"

The younger man lifted his hand to his chin in concentration as he tried to discern what his sensei could find odd. "This rock can't be natural," he said after a moment of thought. "The mountains here weren't formed by volcanic activity, so why would there be a piece of obsidian so large in a place like this?"

The dark general smiled a bit at his student's understanding of mundane science, especially considering the other man's upbringing and lack of schooling. However, he replied, "While that is true, that isn't what I was referring to. Look into the spire and tell me what is missing."

Ranma once again fell silent as he studied his own reflection in the natural mirror, distorted as it was. After a moment, his eyes widened, and he turned to the older man at his side. "Hey!" he almost shouted. "Where the heck is your reflection?!"

Nephrite grinned more and replied, "It no longer exists. I destroyed it in my final test to become a negawarrior, and so must you if you would join me."

Ranma blinked owlishly at this statement, and Nephrite could almost hear the next question before the younger warrior asked it. "How..." Ranma trailed off.

"This is the final test for which you've been training," said Nephrite in a quiet voice. "To access the negaforce you must have a conduit, and between you and the Negaverse stands your reflection. All mirrors are portals into the Negaverse and conduits to the power of negaforce, but access through these most mundane of portals is blocked by the simplest of things, a safeguard against the uncontrolled mixing of lifeforce and negaforce as old as time itself. A reflection to block the transference of energy."

Ranma looked at the older man with an expression somewhere between fear and awe, and Nephrite spoke once more. "After being exposed to negaforce for so long I'm no longer totally human. Over the ages of our imprisonment in the Negaverse I've slowly been becoming less human and more...something else."

Ranma took a deep breath as his sensei sank a bit into a slight melancholy, and as Nephrite watched, the young warrior's face relaxed, the worry and fear he'd seen there draining away as though it were water from a sieve. Finally, as the dark general saw Ranma regain his control, the younger man spoke, his voice solemn and grave. "Alright; what do we do?"

Nephrite nodded to his student and formed the construct in his mind. The construct, made to create the arena for the final test, actually took effort to form, and the older man shut his eyes in concentration even as he felt a slight sheen of sweat form on his brow. This was one of the most complex constructs ever devised by the negawarriors of the Silver Millennium, and Nephrite could feel its strain on his rusted skills.

Finally, as the construct became fully formed in his mind, Nephrite drew negaforce through his mirror and combined it with lifeforce from his reserves. He channeled the power produced from the annihilation of lifeforce and negaforce into the formed construct, and to his mind's eye, the lines began to glow.

The dark general forced more and more energy into the lines that made up the construct until it veritably sang with power, and finally he projected the lines of power into the spire of obsidian before him.

"You must go through that portal," he said in a voice filled with strain from his efforts, "and face what you meet on the other side."

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Ranma watched as Nephrite closed his eyes, his mind spinning with the implications of destroying one's own reflection. 'Obviously,' the negawarrior-in-training thought as the older man did what ever it was he needed to do, "if you remove the natural safeguard, you must have to withstand negaforce yourself or it will destroy you.'

Ranma's thoughts would have continued but for something he saw in the distorted mirror that was the obsidian spire. As though the surface was liquid and someone threw a stone into it, the volcanic glass rippled. A few seconds later, it rippled again, and Ranma saw the function of these waves. Each time a wave passed over the glass, some of the distortion of the strangely warped obsidian was smoothed away. By the time twelve ripples had passed over the sheet of glass, the surface was a smooth, perfect mirror.

Ranma gazed in wonder at the dark mirror before him, and he reached out as though to touch the surface. However, his own gasp stopped his hand bare millimeters from the glass, and his eyes widened as not the mirror but only his reflection rippled, the reaction between his movement and that of his reflection gaining a slight delay. Another ripple flowed through his reflection with a corresponding tingle through Ranma's body, and the delay between his movement and that of his reflection became more pronounced.

Again and again, the ripples passed through Ranma's reflection, and with each came the same results: a slight tingle through the young warrior's body and a greater delay between his action and the mimicking of his reflection. Finally, when the twelfth ripple passed through his reflection, the image ceased to move as he did and instead fell into a ready stance. A bare instant later the sheet of perfect glass became true black, sharper and deeper than a deep cave or the darkest pitch, and Ranma found himself shivering slightly at the sight.

Nephrite's voice startled him from behind. "You must go through that portal and face what you meet on the other side."

Ranma glanced back at his teacher for a moment and took in the man's face, the strain of sustaining the portal evident. With that last glance, Ranma plunged into the portal and was swallowed by darkness.

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An ancient woman on the far side of Jusenkyo from the Joketsuzoku village of Nyuucheizu felt a shudder run down her spine, and she turned toward her distant village. The wrinkled creature's face turned down in an even greater frown than the one that permanently graced it, and she muttered under her breath, "I have a bad feeling about the village."

The old woman sighed; since that daemon attacked the war party chasing those two Jusenkyo-cursed outsiders, the entire village was abuzz with preparations. According to the histories of the Joketsuzoku, the last such daemon to attack the village killed nine tenths of the population and scattered the Joketsuzoku for nearly one hundred years, and the ancient elder of that very tribe was determined to avert such an event during her stewardship of the amazons.

A brief check of the large canvas sack she carried revealed about half of the ingredients for a circle of binding, one so powerful as to trap any daemon short of a full-out Lord. Once she'd gathered the rest of the components, her fellow warriors would lure the beast to her trap, and she would banish the fiend back to what ever hell from whence it spawned.

After a moment more of staring back in the direction of the village, the elder put her uneasiness regarding the rest of her people aside. 'Only with the power of the circle can we hope to defeat such a daemon,' she thought, 'but the warriors can hold it off should it attack before I return tomorrow morning.'

Even though she resolved to continue her quest rather than heed the fear she had for her people, Cologne, current Matriarch of the Nyuucheizu Joketsuzoku, wondered if her decision was correct.

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Darkness.

All Ranma could see was Darkness. Not the mundane darkness of night or a deep cave, but true Darkness. Darkness so absolute and perfect that he could feel it moving like oiled silk across his skin, smell it as a cloying scent, taste its claustrophobic flavor on the air. However, the young, black-haired warrior didn't allow such a thing as a little dark, even this true form of Darkness, to deter him in his mission, and after what seemed an eternity of moving through the Darkness, the veil was lifted from his eyes.

The floor was almost indistinguishable from the surrounding Darkness, but a dome-shaped bubble conspicuous only for its lack of Darkness was before him. The fact that Ranma could see he attributed more to the lack of Darkness than to any real light in the dome, and the ground below was smooth and almost shiny, seeming to be made of the same obsidian as the portal through which he'd passed to reach this unlikely place. Other than these, the area was completely unremarkable.

Ranma's danger sense sang at every aspect of the strange place, its very existence speaking of lethal intent. The young warrior's mind filled with an instinctive terror at this, a place no living person was ever meant to visit, and that the place had will of its own, a will that did not wish him to leave alive. However, Ranma shored up his courage, and though nature itself seemed to find his presence here an aberration, he stepped confidently into the dome-like area.

As he stepped forward, another person walked into the dome opposite him, and after a moment, Ranma could identify that person as himself. The same red shirt and black pants combination that he now favored clothed the other Ranma, and their steps toward the center of what he now understood to be their arena were in complete unison. Even facial expressions were mimicked on the other warrior's face, and the calm, confident look was one that Ranma knew well as it graced his own face often, and even now he wore that very expression.

Finally, the two identical figures met in the center of the arena, both dropping into a calm ready stance, and Ranma found himself a bit confused. 'Just what am I supposed to do?' he thought, a bit perplexed. 'If this is my reflection, then I won't really be able to hit it, will I?'

Suddenly, the reflection struck with a powerful right cross to Ranma's jaw, the move so surprising the former martial artist that he never moved to block or dodge. The reflection raced forward after Ranma as he flew through the air, and Ranma readied himself to land and counterattack when he got his second surprise: he slammed into the Darkness at the edge of the arena with enough force to knock the wind from his lungs! The Darkness through which he'd passed to reach this strange arena was now more solid than stone, not giving at all as he struck. Still surprised, he fell back before the reflection's vicious assault once more, and for the first time since arriving, Ranma began to question the intelligence of his decision to perform the final test today.

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Letting out his breath in a heavy sigh, Nephrite released the portal construct. The dark general opened his eyes just in time to see the portal ripple and collapse, the obsidian spire returning to its original form. Nephrite sighed again; Ranma was on his own now. There was nothing the negawarrior could do for his student now but wait and hope for his safe return to Terra.

Turning away from the spire, now unimportant since it had served its purpose, Nephrite walked back to camp at a sedate pace. His thoughts were many and confused, each of them suffused with worry. 'Should I have told him to wait? Was he truly ready? Could I have done anything more to prepare him for the final challenge?'

In the end, Nephrite decided that he'd done everything he could, and that his student was indeed ready. However, that did very little to assuage his worry, and by the time he'd returned to camp, the dark general was already preparing a construct that would notify him of Ranma's return. This test could take anywhere from an hour to three days to complete, and Nephrite remembered from his own testing that the candidate would reappear in the Universe at random within about forty kilometers of their point of entry. The construct, a location and warning matrix, would notify a negawarrior of an occurrence, such as the appearance of a person, within a specified area. The other part of the matrix, the locator, would lead him to the source of the occurrence. As he finished the construct and empowered it with the energy of annihilation, Nephrite also built a reservoir sub-construct within the warning and locator matrix and filled it with lifeforce. The construct would last for five days without the dark general's energy, and if Ranma had not returned in that time, Nephrite would know that his student had failed.

The dark general sat down on a log next to the now extinguished fire and tried to meditate, but every few moments he would look up, regardless of the knowledge that the construct he'd set would notify him if Ranma returned. Each time, Nephrite would mentally kick himself and return to his meditations only to look up again after another few minutes.

Finally, disgusted with himself, Nephrite gave up his attempts at meditation and set himself to the more active task of rebuilding the fire within the small ring of stones central to his and Ranma's campsite.

'Maybe a cup of tea will calm my nerves,' he reasoned as he placed the sticks in a cone and filled the center with kindling. Once the fire setting was complete, Nephrite used a very simple construct to produce the spark necessary to ignite the wood, and after a few minutes, he had a decent fire burning and sparking in the ring of stones.

While he waited for the fire to reach a point where cooking would be possible, Nephrite thought about the past several weeks with Ranma. 'That kid is the best student I've ever had. He's got a lot of natural talent, and his skill in the martial arts is second to no one I've ever met.' His mind drifted over the many sparring matches and outright battles, the training sessions where he'd instructed Ranma in what he'd need to know as a negawarrior, even the history lessons on the Negaverse and the Dark Kingdom. Ranma had expressed some disagreement with Beryl's ethics, but while Nephrite silently agreed with his pupil, the dark general had cautioned Ranma not to voice those concerns when they went to the Queen's court.

The Dark Kingdom was not just the largest nation of the Negaverse, as it was during the latter part of the Silver Millennium, but now dominated that dimension in its entirety. Twenty thousand years locked away from the Universe gave Beryl plenty of time to subjugate the rest of the Negaverse, and if transporting to Terra took much less lifeforce that it did, Terra would have fallen the day the mystic barriers had failed. The legions of youma and scores of negalytes would have overrun any resistance on Terra short of a Silver Millennium level force in a matter of hours. Though the human technology Ranma had described to him was powerful, and Nephrite had no doubt that given time, the humans would have created weapons that would harm or even kill the soldiers of the Dark Kingdom, the annihilation-powered constructs of the negalytes and the sheer antipathic nature of the youma, the native denizens of the Negaverse, would not have given them the time. And now with Ranma joining the ranks of the remaining four negawarriors....

The dark general sat in silent contemplation of the fire for a short time, but after a few minutes he sighed again; even thinking of his adoptive home led back to his young student. He noticed that the fire was to a point that cooking was possible, and he placed the teapot, already filled with cold water from where he'd intended to make tea with breakfast, on the edge of the hot coals. Sliding to the ground and leaning back against the log, Nephrite settled himself to wait for his student to complete the final test.

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Ranma finally managed to begin blocking the furious assaults his reflection continued to throw at him, but his surprise and lack of readiness had already cost him. A swollen, black bruise surrounded his left eye, and his jaw was still aching from the reflection's first attack. Also, the right side of his chest burned with the fire of cracked ribs, each move sending sharp pain through his ribcage.

This opponent was just as good as he was, and it was a struggle just to keep up from the beginning as the reflection seemed to know all the rules of their strange arena. Ranma, on the other hand, was at a disadvantage in initiative and knowledge, and he knew that he had been fighting this battle uphill from the very first punch.

The reflection came in again with another lightning-quick combination of punches, openhanded strikes, and kicks, and Ranma equaled the reflection's speed, dodging two of the punches and one of the kicks and blocking the rest. However, his injuries slowed him, and the follow-up knee caught the pigtailed warrior in the stomach, doubling him over. The finishing blow, a double fist to the back of the head laid Ranma out on the ground, and the young man barely managed to force down the pain enough to roll away before a stomp could break his neck.

Wide eyed, Ranma regained his feet as a revelation finally reached his brain past all the layers of martial code he'd built up over the years he'd trained with his father: this opponent wasn't going to stop until Ranma was dead. This was no match with a martial artist; the reflection was just as good as he was and would stop at nothing to kill him. Unless Ranma let go of all his 'honorable' martial code notions and fought all out, fought with intent to kill, then he was going to die here.

During Ranma's moment of thought, his reflection wasn't idle, and when Ranma came back to himself, his mirror image was already coming in for another attack. Gritting his teeth, Ranma charged forward against his reflection and met it head on, fighting full-out.

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Nephrite looked into the sky and saw that the sun was falling steadily; night would soon arrive, and Ranma was not yet back. Sighing, the negawarrior checked his locator and warning construct for what seemed like the millionth time, but again, there was nothing wrong with the power matrix or the slowly depleting reservoir. Finally, Nephrite decided to go ahead and make dinner for himself alone, his hopes that Ranma would be back in time failing.

During their weeks of training, Nephrite had had to go to several small Chinese villages for supplies. In fact, that was where Ranma had acquired the red shirt and black pants he generally wore. Seeing his pupil's two gi quickly shredded by the intensity of their training sessions, Nephrite decided to buy some clothes for his student, preferably ones that didn't show off her assets every time he became female. After a bit of shopping around, the dark general came across the perfect garments; indeed, it seemed as though they were made for Ranma, as evidenced by the first time he'd worn them.

Such thoughts brought a smile to Nephrite's face as he reached for the pack of supplies, but that smile didn't last long as the current situation reasserted itself. Ranma was risking his life in a highly dangerous and winner-takes-all trial, and the dark general didn't feel much like smiling at such a time.

Deciding to bury his mind in mundane tasks to alleviate his worry, as before, he reached into the supply pack and pulled out a can of fish steaks and a plastic container holding a portion of their uncooked rice. Camp fare was hardly a good meal, but it would do for tonight. Indeed, it had been the only source of food Ranma had known for nearly a year prior to their meeting.

Gritting his teeth as he walked to the stream with the rice, Nephrite angrily forced thoughts of Ranma from his mind. His apprentice would either win or he wouldn't, and either way, the negawarrior could do nothing to help him.

Reaching the stream, Nephrite set about the work of washing the rice, and with that done, he filled the pot with water and poured in the rice, careful to drain off the extra water.

Finally, with rice pot in hand, Nephrite made his way back to the camp. Placing the rice over the fire and covering it with a heavy wooden lid, he set about preparing the other portion of his meal.

In his previous life on Terra, Nephrite wouldn't have touched such fare, but now he was perfectly happy (well, maybe not happy, but content) with what Ranma termed 'poor man's sashimi.' Basically, place the fish steaks on a plate, sprinkle with sesame seeds, cover with a mixture of su and soy, and serve with gari and wasabi. Certainly not the way sashimi was traditionally served, but it was about the best one could do when over a thousand kilometers from the ocean in a agrigarian area.

Just as the rice finished cooking Nephrite walked back with a plate of 'poor man's sashimi.' After dishing up a portion of rice, belatedly noticing that he'd, out of habit, prepared enough for two, he dug in to his meal. However, Nephrite's mind wasn't on the food. 'Ranma, please win. I'd hate to lose you to this.'

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Ranma was breathing hard during a brief, unspoken mutual truce, his hand darting across his face and brow to wipe away the accumulated sweat and blood. The battle had become far fiercer since he'd stopped holding back, and both combatants were bleeding heavily, both a mass of bruises and cuts. Ranma could feel his cracked ribs aching on his right side from all his strenuous movement, and the cut above his left eye, accentuating the bruise, burned with the sweat that ran down his forehead. The pigtailed warrior was certain that his left arm was broken, and his right knee shot lines of pain up his side and down to his foot from where his opponent had dislocated it. However, Ranma knew that since he'd stopped holding back from lethal intent that he'd given as good as he got. His opponent was visibly limping from a hard strike Ranma had delivered to his hip, and the dark-haired youth well remembered the cracking sound when he'd slammed his fist into his reflection's sternum, almost certainly cracking most of the other boy's ribs. Two black eyes and an assortment of cuts rounded out his opponent's condition, and they eyed each other in the arena of Darkness.

Finally, at some mutual but unknowable signal, the two combatants rushed forward, and the battle was joined once more. Ranma led off with a series of hard punches to his opponent's abdomen, determined to gain and keep the initiative in this exchange. The reflection blocked most of them, but three made it through with telling affect. However, Ranma paid for his success as mirror-Ranma slammed a hammer fist into the side of his head, throwing the real Saotome heir to the side.

Ranma rolled with the blow and flipped over his shoulder and back to his feet, the pain of the nearly dislocated joint sending a multitude of pain signals to his brain. He landed in a crouch and, so as not to give his opponent time to recover, launched himself into a flying side kick at his opponent's head.

It seemed that mirror-Ranma had anticipated the move as, just before the real pigtailed warrior struck, his reflection sidestepped the attack and used a finger to push Ranma off course, adding a hard punch to the boy's kidney for good measure.

Ranma winced at the hard strike on his back, but he refused to lose momentum, launching himself again at his reflection with a low kick meant to hyperextend the right knee. Mirror-Ranma leapt into the air to avoid the painful hyperextension, but Ranma had other plans. Thrusting his undamaged right hand to the ground, the dark-haired warrior redirected his kick upward into his reflection's groin. While this would normally give Ranma pause, he was completely consumed with winning this battle, so he did not allow the male sympathetic pseudo-pain to affect him as he hammered his reflection into the ground from mid air with a vicious downward elbow strike.

Mirror-Ranma bounced twice, holding his crotch. Obviously, the mirror image responded like a regular human when it came to such strikes. Nevertheless, Ranma rushed forward, intent on ending the match, a fierce, angry mask replacing his normal expression.

The reflection of the young warrior must have noticed Ranma's advance because just as the pigtailed warrior came within striking range, the reflection used an arm over his shoulder to reverse his momentum and flip up to his feet. Upon landing, mirror-Ranma threw a reverse crescent kick and connected with the real pigtailed warriors face, spinning him around. Ranma moved with his new momentum and slammed a hammer fist into the left side of the other boy's chest, a satisfying crunch responding to his efforts.

The reflection's eyes widened in pain, and he began to collapse. However, Ranma saw the ruse as mirror-Ranma used a leopard's paw to strike the young warrior in the sensitive nerve cluster at the joining point of pelvis and hip. Ranma screamed in pain, but even as he did, the pigtailed warrior threw a five-finger spear hand with all his might at his opponent's throat.

The world seemed to slow as the spear hand came within five centimeters of the reflection's exposed weak point, and Ranma knew, should he allow the attack to strike home, he would be a killer once more. This time, however, it would be a conscious act, his choice to end another being's life.

In the brief fraction of a second he had to decide whether or not to avert the blow to a less lethal spot, Ranma's life seemed to flash before his eyes. All his training with his father and the training with Nephrite subsequent to his father's death all passed through the pigtailed warrior's mind, and one solitary statement, spoken by his newest sensei, stood out.

Nephrite had said, "It's never easy to kill, especially the first time, and it never should become easy. A long time ago, a man who helped train me told me something about killing. He said, 'Never like it, but never shy away from it when it needs to be done.' I've taken those words to heart; they embody what it is to be a soldier and a warrior. Maybe you aren't a martial artist anymore, but you are still a man. And now, you can claim the title of warrior as well."

With those words in mind, Ranma threw his entire being behind the spear hand, and even though he gained no pleasure from the feel of skin, muscle, and vital tissue ripping apart around his ki-enhanced hand, he felt the satisfaction of having killed when it needed to be done.

Ranma stood frozen in his position, the reflection falling slowly to the ground, its throat torn apart by the pigtailed warrior's strike. He took a deep breath, retracting his hand from striking position, and time returned to normal as the body of his opponent fell to the ground, dead. A few tears still leaked from Ranma's eyes as he looked down at his reflection, the corpse slowly sinking into the shiny floor, but for the first time since the fight began, Ranma found some small amount of peace in his mind.

The peace did not last, however, and just as his opponent's body sank fully into the ground, the arena collapsed, Darkness rushing to engulf Ranma from every side. The crushing weight bore down on him, and a power, once locked away from the pigtailed negawarrior, finally found its way to Ranma's mind.

And he screamed.

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Author's Notes:

Finally, an update. Sorry it took so long, but between changing jobs and the development of a new casino, I've been a bit busy. Also, I had to make another trip to the east coast for my grandfather's funeral (and I got to be there for Hurricane Frances, oh happy day...). In any case, I hope you all like the story so far. I'm going to try a new tactic in updating my fics more regularly and in the ever-present battle against writer's block: I'm going to work on only one fic at a time until I just can't write on it any more or it's done. This way I hope to write a more unified and frequently updated fic. If you guessed that it's Negawarrior that I chose to be my focus for the time being, give yourself a gold star.

The recipe for 'poor man's sashimi' given in one of the Nephrite sections is a real thing; in fact, I ate that as part of my dinner tonight. As for translations: su is rice vinegar, soy is soy sauce, gari is pickled ginger, and wasabi is Japanese horseradish sauce (spicy). In any case, this is one of my normal foods. Heck, it's not like I make enough money to buy the fresh fish necessary to make real sashimi! Oh well. Ja ne, minnasan.

PS: I apologize in advance for the next few parts' disclaimers... You'll understand when you read them...


	7. Chapter 2 E4: IitP Inducted

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

You've heard of Shakespeare for Management,

You've heard of Shakespeare for the Teenage Soul,

Now: Shakespeare for the Fanfic Disclaimer!

What's in a disclaimer? A legal text, by any other name, would sound as boring.

Thank you.

Chapter Two: Battles Under the Evening Star

Episode Four: Interludes into the Past — Inducted

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Nephrite leaned back against the log, night having fallen some time ago. The stars shone in the night sky and the negawarrior relaxed, and thoughts of his protégé were slowly submerged within the quiet blanket of Morpheus' realm. The fire had long since burned to embers, and the pungent smell of wood smoke permeated the small clearing where the dark general lay. In his mind, the brown haired man once more relived memories of a time so long ago...

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Nephrite stood at attention with the other seven Candidates in the east courtyard, either de facto training ground in the Palace of Terra. Rakalite, commander of the king's Guardians and their primary trainer, walked slowly down the line inspecting each Candidate in turn. The brown haired man knew that only four of the eight would be chosen to be young Endymion's Guardians, and so four of his fellow Candidates would still have to be eliminated. Originally, there had been over thirty, so the former Special Operations captain counted himself lucky to still be present for Guardian training.

Of the other Candidates still in the running, Nephrite knew Jadeite the best. He was a quiet man with short blonde hair and a hard, unyielding face, formerly of the Naval Special Forces Department, so Nephrite had a somewhat similar history with the man. They had found that they had a great deal in common with each other in their military backgrounds, and both men would have long conversations about their past deployments, comparing Navy and Army in command structure and deployment practices. While Jadeite seemed somewhat cold, Nephrite understood how anyone with their kind of background could be.

Another Candidate, Crystite, had been a commander in the Royal Marine Corps. The woman, her long emerald hair and exotic green eyes an uncommon occurrence in the inner system, was a native of the southern polar regions of Terra, and her eyes were as cold as her birth place. She wasn't one to talk much, but when she did, it was apparent that she'd seen some very rough engagements in her time.

Darecite, a tall, brown haired man that had lived in the capital city of Terra almost all his life, was what most soldiers would have termed a 'lordling'; that is, he was born into his position and never gained any military experience. Although being in the final eight Candidates did afford him a great deal of respect from Nephrite, Darecite still had to fight for acceptance every step of the way.

An intelligence operative for the Crown, Zoisite, stood at attention next to Darecite, his medium length strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. While Nephrite couldn't fault the man's combat expertise or skill in infiltration, the fact that he was such a pretty boy the Nephrite had mistaken him for a woman on first sight was entirely too weird for the brown haired Candidate to strike up any real friendship with him. Besides, Zoisite only seemed to want to be around another of the Candidates, Kunzite.

Kunzite had long white hair, but his face didn't reach the levels of bishonen that Zoisite's exceeded every day. The man, slightly taller than Nephrite, was also from intelligence, and it was obvious that he and Zoisite had known each other for quite a while before being selected as Candidates for Guardianship.

Hydrite was from Atlantis, and the man's short blue hair showed it. Another Naval officer, he was very proud of his heritage in the underwater city. Other than to boast of his and his ancestors' exploits as a Naval Operations Specialists, he was a quiet man. Nephrite had a feeling that he had something to hide, but the brown haired Candidate couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The last Candidate, Walinite, was... slowly walking toward the exit of the courtyard, and Nephrite knew what that meant: another one eliminated. Now there were only seven Candidates left. The brown haired Candidate was shaken from his musings by the sound of Rakalite's voice, a deep baritone that contained a tone of command that brooked no opposition.

"Candidates," he began. "You may have noticed that, once again, there are fewer of you here for training than yesterday. The day of Selection is close at hand, and only four of you seven will become Guardians for Prince Endymion upon his coming of age."

Rakalite paused to allow his words to sink in, and Nephrite began to wonder what the next challenge of elimination would be. Luckily, he did not have long to wait as Rakalite spoke again. "There is only one more test, Candidates. As you know, the Royal Guardians of Terra are negawarriors, and as you may have noticed, none of you have yet attained that status."

Again, Rakalite paused, and Nephrite felt his breath quicken. If the final elimination challenge was the final test to become a negawarrior, then it was dangerous indeed. Before he could ponder further, Rakalite continued.

"The final test to become a negawarrior is highly dangerous and failure is always lethal. You each have received the training to complete this test and take a place as a negawarrior, but without complete confidence in your skills, you should not attempt this challenge. However, refusing to compete this challenge will eliminate your Candidacy, and you will be released back to what ever you did before becoming a Candidate. I will ask now: does anyone wish to leave now?"

Rakalite stood in silence, seeming to consider each Candidate in turn, and Nephrite felt the older Guardian's probing gaze on his face, seeming to penetrate into his innermost being. Silence reigned in the courtyard as each Candidate asked him- or herself if they were willing to risk their lives to attain Guardianship, and after a full ten minutes of contemplation, it seemed that all seven remaining Candidates believed that they were worthy.

Nodding slightly to himself, Rakalite spoke once more. "Very well then, Candidates. I will see all of you in the Crystal Chamber in fifteen minutes. Dismissed!"

With that, the Guardian Commander turned and strode away, not looking back. Nephrite stared after the man long after he was out of sight, and he was so intent on his thoughts that a hand on his shoulder startled him.

"Are you ready for this?" asked Jadeite, the owner of the hand. "I mean, this last test is pretty brutal, but I guess they have to be absolutely certain that we will be good Guardians."

"Yes," replied Nephrite, wishing that his voice sounded a bit stronger. "I suppose I am ready."

"You'd better be more certain than that, my friend," was Jadeite's response, the cocky smile on his face obvious in his voice. "Or the battle will not go in your favor."

The relaxed attitude Jadeite exuded seemed to put Nephrite at ease, and when he spoke it was with his normal confidence. "Yes, I am ready."

The blonde haired man actually flashed one of his rare smiles Nephrite's way and said, "That's better. I'm gonna go by my room before meeting Rakalite. You wanna come?"

"Nah," replied Nephrite. "I'm just going to go there."

"Alright, I'll see you there."

With that, Jadeite walked back toward the Candidate barracks, and Nephrite began his slow walk toward the Crystal Chamber, his thoughts a bit confused. 'After today, I'll be a negawarrior or I'll be dead... Doesn't leave much room for error...'

The Kingdom of Terra had been in alliance with several of the nations of the Negaverse since time immemorial, even before allying with the House of Serenity and joining the Silver Millennium. The oldest of these alliances was with a nation called the Dark Kingdom, one of the largest nations of the Negaverse. The first contact with the youma of the Dark Kingdom and the first Negawarrior were lost in the mists of time before reliable recorded history, but the alliance was a strong one. Both Kingdoms prospered, and the Royal families had even intermarried.

The Dark Kingdom was ruled by negalytes, strange half youma half human people. Once, long ago, full-blooded youma ruled there, but after making contact with the Kingdom of Terra, their Royal family intermarried with some of the first negawarriors and became negalytes. In fact, Duchess Beryl was a negalyte, though she was the King's cousin and held her rank in the universe rather than the Negaverse.

While nominally incompatible, there were a few places in both the Negaverse and the universe that were mutually co habitable to denizens of both worlds. On Terra, such areas were usually at mana nexuses at the crossing of the mystic lei lines that wound about the planet. Such lines did not exist in the Negaverse, and it was not well understood why certain areas of the Negaverse were habitable by normal humans. However, Nephrite himself had been to the Negaverse a few times for negawarrior training in an area called Dark Moon. The only beings that could exist normally anywhere in either the Negaverse or the universe were a few negalytes with the right balance of lifeforce and negaforce and a few highly trained negawarriors and youma.

As Nephrite neared the Crystal Chamber, he reflected on the nature of his destination. The Chamber was the biggest negaforce reactor in the known universe or Negaverse, and it served to keep the Guardians fully charged with both lifeforce and negaforce, as well as to power the defenses of the Palace itself. Little about the Crystal Chamber was known to non-negawarriors, so Nephrite had very little understanding of its actual workings.

Finally, Nephrite was standing before the iron and crystal doors that lead into the Crystal Chamber, and at that point he hesitated. 'Am I ready to do this?' he asked himself. 'Am I ready to kill my own reflection?'

As he stood there, Kunzite and Zoisite passed him, and Nephrite got his first good look inside the Chamber. It reminded him of the teleportation matrix except far larger and more complex. The blue glow of lifeforce crystals and the black aura of negaforce crystals cast the room in a strange mosaic of light and shadow, and the silver mirrors, eight set at each of the cardinal directions, that stretched from floor to twenty meter high ceiling gave the room the illusion of infinite size. The center of the room was a raised dais of shining white crystal with four platforms set equally around its center, but the most impressive feature floated above the center of the dais. An amorphous ball of brilliant white energy coalesced above the dais like a miniature sun, power flowing into it from several of the lifeforce and negaforce crystals surrounding the room. A dull roar from the annihilation engine Nephrite saw before him permeated the room, resonating the crystals that continued to feed it. This was true power, Nephrite realized in abject awe. The true annihilation of lifeforce and negaforce, a hundred times the power of a star contained in a ball only three meters across, used to power the most secure place in the Sol system short of the Imperial Palace on Luna...

Nephrite was still gaping at the sheer realization of the Crystal Chamber when once again a hand fell on his shoulder, startling him enough to jump. Jadeite's cocky grin met his face as he spun toward the source of his surprise and the blonde man said, "You'd better stop being so jumpy, Nephrite. It'll get you killed some day."

Nephrite joined the other man with his own grin and chuckled a bit at that. "Honestly," he replied, his amazement at the Crystal Chamber returning as he spoke. "I doubt we'll ever see more power in a single room than here."

As the brown-haired Candidate turned back to the Chamber, Jadeite said, "I'll agree with you there, my friend. Just don't let it get to you; assuming we are both selected, we'll be spending a good deal of time in here."

Nephrite nodded mutely, and together they entered the Chamber. Nephrite still couldn't fathom the enormity of power packed into such a small room, and he was still gaping at the brilliantly shining sphere when Actinolite arrived, followed by the other three Guardians of King Endymion: Kainite, Andradite, and Hematite. Each elder Guardian took one of the platforms surrounding the dais, and when they had each of the Candidates' undivided attention, Actinolite spoke.

"Alright, Candidates. From this chamber you will embark on the final test to become true negawarriors."

Kainite spoke next, continuing for his commander. "We cannot tell you what to expect beyond a fierce battle. This test is different for each aspiring negawarrior."

Then it was Andradite's turn. "We will create the constructs necessary for you to cross into the nul-space between our Universe and the Negaverse."

Finally, Hematite finished the speech. "Once you've passed through, we will wait for three days. If you have not returned in that time you will be considered dead. No one has ever taken longer than three days to return from the final challenge, if they return at all."

"Candidates!" Actinolite intoned. "Ready yourselves. Each of you, stand before a separate mirror. Guardians, form the matrix!"

Nephrite watched in awe as, with all four Guardians drawing on the power of the reactor at the center of the Crystal Chamber, the sphere of power actually dimmed perceptively. Shaking himself from his stupor, the brown-haired Candidate walked quickly to one of the mirrors in the Chamber, the northeast one if he could still trust his direction sense in this place, and waited. After a moment, a ripple seemed to pass through his reflection with a corresponding tingle through his body, and after the ripple, there was a slight delay between his movements and the mimicking of his reflection. Nephrite watched in amazement as another ripple passed and a greater delay asserted itself. After a full twelve ripples, his reflection dropped into a neutral stance, and a second later the mirror turned solid black.

"Candidates!" came Actinolite's voice, strain actually apparent in his tone. "Pass through the portals and meet your destinies!"

Nephrite took a deep breath and stepped forward into Darkness.

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Lying against the log in the campsite, Nephrite stirred briefly as the fear of that moment, even only remembered, caused the dark general to shudder unconsciously, and he briefly opened his eyes to look at the stars and check the locator and warning construct. After another moment and finding nothing amiss with his construct, he closed his eyes once more and again let memories overcome his conscious mind.

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This was Darkness, and though he had read about it before, Nephrite was still unprepared for the feel of it on his skin, like oiled silk. The smell and taste of it on the air served to force adrenaline into his blood, and the cloying, claustrophobic sensations screamed to his mind of the unnatural truth of his presence in nul-space. Still, Nephrite forced himself forward, and after an eternity of walking, he passed out of the Darkness into a sight that took his breath away for the umpteenth time that day.

It was a dome within the Darkness, the floor a silvery, mirror-like surface, but that wasn't what amazed the Candidate. Stars shone in every direction, and a small part of Nephrite's mind that remembered his mother's astrological lessons from his childhood recognized the constellations: if Terra were in the center of the dome, these were the same stars one would see from the planet's surface, minus the other celestial bodies of the Sol system.

Movement from the other side of the dome caught his attention, and Nephrite stared at his reflection as it stepped forth from the Darkness. It looked at the brown-haired Candidate briefly, and then began to walk a strange, zigzag path across the arena toward him.

Nephrite's eyes narrowed at the activities of his mirror image, and he attempted to take a step forward.

Pain.

Screaming, Nephrite threw himself back to his original position, and the pain subsided. Looking again at the movements of mirror-Nephrite, the real Candidate had a sudden, startling realization: his reflection was walking only the astrological paths between stars and constellations, and never straying from the Stars' Way. Wracking his brain for almost forgotten memories of the astrological lessons his mother had taught so long ago, Nephrite slowly began to perceive the correct paths through the arena.

Nodding to himself, Nephrite began his own zigzagging path through the dome, and if his estimations were correct, he would meet his double in the constellation known as the Gladiator. The brown-haired man almost smirked at the fitting nature of their battle taking place in that constellation, but he didn't allow such wry thoughts to interfere with his walking the correct path.

Dropping his hand to his side, he felt the reassuring texture of his sword hilt, confident that he still had the only weapon permitted to a candidate. Having been a soldier in the Special Operations Division, Nephrite was proficient with not only modern crystal-plasma weaponry, but also with the more esoteric blade weapons and hand-to-hand combat. The further he walked, the more confident Nephrite became in his ability to complete this test.

Finally, Nephrite reached the edge of the Gladiator, and just as he stood above the first star in its belt, his reflection leapt. Mirror-Nephrite launched himself to stand next to the real man and managed to land a hard punch to Nephrite's chest, knocking the man back. Nephrite stumblingly tried to regain his balance, but one of his feet accidentally touched an area outside the Stars' Way, and pain enough to rip a scream from his lips shot up that leg, momentarily stunning him.

Mirror-Nephrite did not hesitate as its opponent was stunned, and rushed forward to attack. At the last moment before the knife hand strike would have hit his neck, Nephrite overcame the pain and caught the lethal blow just centimeters from impact. Spinning with his opponent's momentum and jerking hard on the arm, Nephrite managed to throw his reflection off of the Stars' Way and dislocate its arm in the same movement.

The brown-haired Candidate heard his double scream with the same pain Nephrite had felt when he stepped off of the Way, and the negawarrior-in-training turned just in time to see his reflection leap back to the Way on the Gladiator's arm.

Nephrite wasn't willing to give his opponent a break, and he leapt to an adjacent star on the blade, briefly thinking, 'This is like fighting in a mine field!'

Then there was no time for thought; the battle was well and truly joined with neither side asking-for nor giving quarter. Blows and attacks were always lethal in their intent, and the pain of stepping off the Stars' Way forced the opponents to remain close.

Finally, after receiving a black eye and a broken left arm and giving three cracked ribs, Nephrite stepped up the battle another notch by drawing his sword, his reflection following suit.

The clash of steel against steel echoed in the arena as the battle continued to increase in intensity, Nephrite getting a shallow slash down his left side as he managed a thrust through his opponent's thigh. Following up from the slash and ignoring Nephrite's blade buried in its leg, the reflection tried for a decapitating horizontal slash, Nephrite barely ducking in time to get only a nasty gash on the side of his head. With that attack, Nephrite twisted his blade and wrenched it free of his opponent's leg, eliciting a scream from mirror-Nephrite, momentarily stunning the reflection. A moment was all the real man needed, and he brought his sword up, slashing through his double's wrist. On the reverse swing, Nephrite aimed to take off the image's head, the blade moving inexorably toward his opponent's neck….

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Nephrite jolted awake as the warning construct screamed its call in his mind, and for a moment, the dark general didn't understand the significance. Then, suddenly and all at once, the importance of the signal made itself known, and Nephrite was actually smiling from ear to ear. Ranma was back, and that, of course, meant that he was also successful!

The negawarrior was about to call up the locator portion of his construct when he sensed a great deal of negaforce being channeled nearly thirty five kilometers to the south west, and the brown haired man's face fell.

'No!' he thought, fear and anger filling his mind. 'Damn it, I didn't think about induction madness!'

With that thought, Nephrite abandoned all thoughts of stealth or subtlety and leapt into the air, a flight construct speeding him to the southwest. He had to reach Ranma before the young man destroyed himself trying to channel too much negaforce so soon.

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Author's Notes:

Chapters are coming fast and furious now, and that just makes me happy. I can only hope that I can keep up this pace, but don't kill me if I don't. I can only work on chapters on the weekends.

I know I'm a bastard for leaving the story like this...but you'll just have to deal with it. The next section is the third and final part to Chapter Two entitled "Shampoo – Dying Embers."

On a minor rewrite side note, I changed names to reflect real minerals, and I had to change a great many names, too. The only one left alone (other than the names of real characters from SM canon) was Kainite, which surprisingly is a real mineral. Later, all.


	8. Chapter 2 E5: Shampoo

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

And now, for another installment of Shakespeare for the Fanfic Disclaimer!

Thrice violated copyright law,

Thrice and once the lawyers whined,

Creators cry tis time, tis time!

Round about the fanfic go,

With Characters' entrails throw,

Words that under cold stone,

Chapters and Parts equal Thirty One,

Swelt'ring Authors sleeping sick,

Boil first in the charmed fic!

Thank you

Note: the author apologizes for this butchering of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I

Chapter Two: Battles Under the Evening Star

Episode Five: Shampoo – Dying Embers

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A chill ran down Shampoo's back as she walked home from her afternoon practice, her injuries from fighting the daemon a few weeks earlier barely healed. Her great grandmother and prevailed upon the council to give her a stay of obligation until the situation with the hellspawn was dealt with, but the young Joketsuzoku Champion couldn't keep her mind off of the girl that had humiliated her before her sisters. However, the chill she'd just felt was that of impending disaster, and without her great grandmother in the village, Shampoo felt very vulnerable. 'If that daemon should come here before great grandmother returns,' she thought with apprehension, 'we could all be dead...'

Shaking the chill from her body, Shampoo continued toward her home along the dirt streets of Nieucheizu. Occasionally, another Joketsuzoku would greet her, and though she would return the greeting with the veneer of happiness and enthusiasm, she truly did not feel it. Each such encounter was ended as quickly as possible without offending the other woman, and Shampoo finally entered the house she shared with her great grandmother, the elder and Matriarch Cologne.

Shampoo's parents had died before she reached that age of three fighting a Musk incursion into Joketsuzoku lands, and only one of her grandmothers, the village healer, was still alive. The young amazon had poured her entire life into the training that her great grandmother offered, and she was the youngest warrior ever to win the village's yearly tournament. The amazon bristled at the memory: just as she'd won and taken her rightful place as Champion, she saw the red-head and her panda eating the feast that was her nominal prize. It was not the food that was the real prize, but the fact that some outsider would insult her by doing something like that was unconscionable.

Angered almost beyond words, she had jumped from the challenge log and slammed her bonbori through the table, demanding to know why the girl would eat her prize. The red haired Japanese girl looked at Shampoo in a way that told the young amazon that she did not know Mandarin, but before the new Champion could switch to her own imperfect Japanese, a fat old man Shampoo recognized as the Jusenkyo Guide translated for her. The purple haired amazon stood proud and angry as the girl's eyes showed understanding, but instead of the apology that would have solved the problem, a cocky grin settled on the girl's lips.

Shampoo sighed as she thought of what happened next. The red head stood and challenged Shampoo stating that if she were the winner, then there would be no problem if she and her father ate the food. While the amazon didn't understand the reference to the other girl's father, she accepted the challenge as was her duty as the village Champion, and within five minutes she was standing opposite to the girl in the dirty white gi on the tournament challenge log. That's when the nightmare began.

Underestimating the foreign girl and with pride bolstered nearly to hubris by her recent victory, Shampoo charged forward intent on simply overwhelming the obviously inferior girl, and her plan seemed to work as the girl stood stock still, just staring at the amazon Champion as she charged. However, Shampoo reflected, the staring was a ruse, and it was Shampoo who left the challenge log in a single attack, a high split kick launched by the outsider at the last moment.

After that, Shampoo was shamed beyond words, and she slowly rose from where she'd fallen just in time to see the judge of the tournament name the outsider as the winner of the battle. Her shame complete, the only thing she was allowed by law to perform was the Kiss of Death, and moving slowly to the girl, Shampoo turned her face and placed the kiss upon her cheek.

Since she was the Joketsuzoku Champion, Shampoo immediately drew her bonbori and attacked, several of her more overzealous sisters following suit, even though it was against tradition. The purple haired warrior was about to call off her sisters when the red head jumped high and leapt over the surrounding crowd.

Shampoo reflected on how she'd felt at that moment: her chance of redemption from the shame of being defeated would be ruined if she did not either kill the girl or force her to join the tribe, and the girl was now showing her true colors in running away from an honorable duel. Immediately, Shampoo had rallied her sisters to chase the erstwhile girl and her panda, but that was a mistake.

Looking back on the incident, hindsight being twenty twenty as the western saying went, Shampoo could understand completely why the other girl had run. If she had been surrounded by weapon wielding warriors intent on her blood, she would have run as well, and there would be no dishonor in her retreat from being so outnumbered within her enemies' home territory. However, at the time her blood was boiling at the perceived slight, and she whipped the surrounding warriors into a frenzy over her own dishonor, giving chase as soon as a war party could be gathered.

The purple haired Champion now reflected on the unfortunance of the battle that had occurred after, and her face fell with more shame, this time brought upon her by her own actions. Certainly her sisters did not perceive the battle as such, but with her hindsight, she took upon herself all the deaths caused by the girl and the daemon. It all began when one of the other warriors, wielding a bow, shot and killed the girl's panda. The red head's shriek of pain, anguish, and anger would live within Shampoo until the day she died, and her sorrow at her own actions pained her now and would do so forever.

As the giant beast fell, the girl whirled and faced the horde of amazons with death in her eyes. Shampoo could not help but admire such courage and loyalty, even to a pet, and she rushed forward to meet her adversary.

That, of course, was when the daemon arrived. It had the shape of a man, but it glowed black with unnatural power and threw forth a blast of dark energy that slew a full ten Joketsuzoku in a single attack. The purple haired Champion had skidded to a halt at the attack, and she called to her fellow warriors to fall back before the daemon could attack once more. Most of the other Joketsuzoku obeyed; all but the eight that were engaging the outsider girl. Shampoo had thought that though those eight would surely die at the hands of the daemon, the red head would die at their hands before the beast could attack. However, just as she crested the last hill between the field of battle and the village, the purple haired warrior glanced back, and she stopped in her tracks at the sight. Seven of the eight Joketsuzoku that had been facing the girl lay dead on the ground, most with their own weapons buried in their necks or torsos. The last was now engaging the girl, and it was obvious to Shampoo that the woman was already dead. Even as the young Champion watched, the red head thrust a spear hand through the final warrior's throat, and barely noticing the corpse that now hung from her hand, she turned to face the daemon.

'Certainly,' thought Shampoo with some unhappiness, 'the girl died at the hands of the daemon.' The thought made the Champion of the Joketsuzoku somewhat sad as the girl showed true warrior spirit in felling eight seasoned warriors and then facing a daemon, and Shampoo would have been proud to call the girl sister and friend should she have joined the tribe as was dictated by the law.

Finally, the purple haired warrior stepped into her home. Sitting heavily in a rough-hewn chair, she thought of her great grandmother who would normally be waiting for her after her afternoon sparring.

'I hope great grandmother is well,' she thought. It was a rare thing for Shampoo to be away from her great grandmother, but being sixteen, she could handle a little time apart. However, she worried for the older woman's safety. With the daemon out there, one could not be too careful.

Still, Shampoo could not shake the chill from her bones: something bad was going to happen, and she wasn't sure if she or any Joketsuzoku would survive the coming onslaught.

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Ranma screamed.

The Darkness that enveloped the pigtailed negawarrior with crushing weight changed to searing, white hot pain as he felt it touch his ki and attempt to force itself into his pattern. He screamed with the pain of ki and what his pain-drenched mind could only comprehend as anti-ki meeting and annihilating one another uncontrolled within his aura, a pain unlike any he had ever experienced before. It was agony like Ranma had never experienced... even in the pit. He screamed until his world was nothing but Darkness, pain, and the sound of his own ragged voice, and still, there was no cession from the pain. Finally, Ranma succumbed to the pain as he did with the fear from the Neko-ken, and his consciousness retreated to the warm, dark place.

Waking was a slow process, and as usual, he gained his sense of touch first. His entire body ached, and his head pounded with the worst headache in his sixteen year experience. A groan escaped his throat involuntarily, and Ranma became aware that his mouth was drier than a desert in summer, his lips cracking as he winced in pain.

Slowly, as motor control returned, he opened his eyes. The cloud covered night sky was the first thing he beheld, and he slowly began to stretch, painfully working the kinks from his muscles. The young man winced with each movement, but each was necessary if he was to recover quickly. His aching muscles at once sent signals of pain and pleasure to his brain as they obeyed the commands to stretch, but before he was more than half way through all the muscles that required attention, a face framed by shoulder length brown hair invaded his view of the night sky.

"Drink this," Nephrite said quietly as he proffered a cup, and Ranma slowly sipped the water, his parched throat thanking his sensei as the cool liquid slowly made its way to his stomach. "You've been unconscious for three days now, since you returned from the final test."

The pigtailed negawarrior tried to nod, but the pain of actually trying to move beyond a stretch caused him to wince once more. His mentor put a hand on his shoulder, and Ranma relaxed as his message was conveyed.

"Don't worry, Ranma," Nephrite continued in a calm, quiet voice. "I put a temporary block on your ability to draw negaforce. It will go away slowly as you learn to handle more of it, and I will be teaching you the constructs to use it in the mean time. For now, just rest."

Again, Ranma tried to nod, forgetting his present status as enfeebled. Nephrite smirked at his movement, and once Ranma'd drained the cup, he said, "Just try to get some more sleep, Ranma. We'll talk in the morning."

Letting his eyes close slowly, Ranma allowed himself to lose consciousness once more, but this time it was a peaceful sleep of one who is entirely too tired.

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Some distance from the pair of males, one caring for the other, another pair, these female, made camp in a similar situation. One, seemingly far older, yet much, much younger, than her male counterpart in the other camp, watched over her own protégé with worry in her mind, the younger one having not yet awoken from her three day nap.

While Cologne knew that her great granddaughter would survive and eventually awake, she was at a loss as to what Shampoo had become. When the ancient elder found Shampoo, dark energy was still skittering across her skin like black lightning. To her eternal shame, the only way Cologne could manage to stabilize her heir, after exhausting all other options over the course of an hour, was to use Jusenkyo's power. The elder had taken her great granddaughter to the cursed training ground and bathed her in the first spring she found, not even considering which spring that might be. She was actually relieved when Shampoo only changed into a cat, and the effect was successful as Cologne saw that her heir would survive.

After allowing the healing powers of the curse work their magic on Shampoo, Cologne had splashed her heir with hot water, and thus received another shock: Shampoo no longer looked quite human. All of her features seemed more angular with sharper edges, and her ears were pointed like an elf from western mythology. Also, as she'd been checking her great granddaughter for concussion, she'd seen that her pupils were now slitted like a cat's. Though the pallor of her skin could be attributed to her current, injured condition, the elder did not think that was so. The crone was truly at a loss as to what her great granddaughter had become in the course of the daemon's attack. It was obvious that she had fought bravely, but at what cost...

Cologne closed her eyes in meditation of the events, her face clenching in anger at her inability to protect the Joketsuzoku from the daemon. It had been early morning when Cologne had finally gathered the final ingredients for the circle of binding, and she had made her way back toward the village with as much haste as she could muster. Sadly, she was too late, and she knew it before Nieucheizu was even in sight. The unnatural red glow coming from over the last few hills told her that the village was burning, and the smell of smoke in the air spurred her onward with its adrenalizing fragrance. It was only as she crested the final hill that she stopped dead in her tracks.

Nieucheizu was dead. Bodies littered the street, and no one was spared: not woman, man, or even child. The bodies seemed surreal in the light of the burning houses, and Colognes eyes could not contain her tears. Weeping, the ancient woman made her way down the slope and into the shattered Amazon village, knowing she had failed them.

Cologne had walked through the dirt streets of Nieucheizu like the old woman she was rather than her usual energetic pogo-stick method of locomotion, and at each body she catalogued the damage, keeping her ears and eyes open for any survivors or the daemon that had robbed her of her people. Many appeared to have died of burns or strong impacts, but a few showed signs of being electrocuted, a mean trick for a village that had never had a generator. Some even lay peacefully and without marks, as though their very souls had been ripped from their bodies before they had even known what had happened. The tears coursing their way down her cheeks never ceased, but the old woman did not even notice them.

Finally, as she neared the house where that she shared with her great granddaughter, Cologne slowed. Fear returned full force as she thought of Shampoo facing the obvious wrath of the daemon, and she stepped forward with dread in her heart.

Cologne found Shampoo just before the steps to the front door, crumpled in a heap with black lightning skittering across her now-pale skin. The old woman rushed forward to her charge's side the moment she saw the younger woman, and her eyes widened at what she saw. Shampoo's aura had been attacked directly by some unknown force; it was as though portions of her ki simply ceased to be while damaging other areas. The only thing that was even close to the damage she was seeing was radiation poisoning from the strange power plants the Chinese government had set up in other provinces, but the analogy would only hold if radiation damaged the aura rather than the body.

After that, Cologne had taken her great granddaughter to Jusenkyo, and then she had set her camp toward Kunicheizu. Even now, having found and saved Shampoo, Cologne wept for her people. She had come too late to save them, and now she and Shampoo were all that was left of the Nieucheizu Joketsuzoku. The old woman sighed as she contemplated her next move.

'Obviously,' she thought morosely. 'I am unfit to be Matriarch any longer. We must travel to Kunicheizu and I will tell them of what happened. Then I shall go into exile... I think Japan is nice this time of year...'

The old woman almost smiled at her mental jest, but it appeared on her face as more of a wince. She was just about to go find more firewood when she heard a groan coming from her great granddaughter, and in an instant, Cologne was next to her heir.

"Shampoo," she said in a quiet, earnest voice. "Great Granddaughter, how are you feeling?"

Shampoo's eyes opened slowly, and the elder had to clamp down on her natural impulse to flinch at her heir's disturbing, slit pupil gaze. Luckily, she didn't outwardly show how disturbed she was feeling. Shampoo's mouth opened, but it seemed that her throat was too dry to speak yet. Cologne almost kicked herself as she reached for the small mug of water sitting next to her great granddaughter.

"Don't try to speak, Great Granddaughter," she said softly. "Just drink a little of this and relax. You almost died, and I would rather you rest and tell me of events later than for you to strain yourself."

Shampoo nodded slightly and sipped the water from the proffered cup. After she finished it, her eyes closed once more. Cologne sighed, but returned to her position next to the fire. It had been a long few days, and this night didn't seem to be getting any shorter.

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Nephrite returned to his watchfulness as Ranma's eyes closed, his mind already more at ease now that the younger man had finally woken. Thinking back to how he'd found Ranma, crazed and throwing energy bolts obviously charged with negaforce, with just the bare idea of a construct keeping them from annihilating with the surrounding lifeforce, at anything that moved, Nephrite was unsurprised that Ranma had been unconscious for three days.

'I completely forgot about the possibility of induction madness...' he thought in a self accusatory manner. 'If I'd remembered about it, I would have chosen a much more remote location for his testing...'

The brown haired negawarrior couldn't get the sight of so many dead innocents out of his mind as his thoughts continued. 'Well,' he amended, 'they weren't exactly innocents. That was the same village that chased Ranma and his father when we first met.'

Deciding to go back to the beginning, Nephrite relaxed against the log near the fire. When his construct warned him that Ranma had returned he'd been overjoyed; however, the amount of negaforce being channeled was insane, at a level even Kunzite was incapable of! Throwing caution to the wind, Nephrite had created a very unsubtle flight construct and winged his way toward his student, but even as he rushed to Ranma's side, he worried that his skill would not be able to best the raw power his student was channeling.

Nephrite had known that if his student was instinctually using negaforce when he'd just returned, then it had to be induction madness. The dark general remembered his own induction: the pain was incredible. Just gaining control of the negative energy trying to swallow him was a horrifyingly difficult task, and some new negawarriors allowed the pain to drive them temporarily insane, and some even failed, allowing the negaforce to destroy them, with devastating results. This induction madness would last until they were rendered unconscious, and until that happened, the crazed negawarrior would attack anything near him using pure, unconstructed negaforce or constructs formed on a purely instinctual level.

As Nephrite neared the emanations of negaforce, he could see the red of flames and smell smoke in the rapidly moving air. Finally, it dawned on him what had happened: Ranma had reappeared in the village of those crazy women. It almost seemed fitting that they should bear the pain of his student's insanity, but Nephrite knew that Ranma would only become more upset if he realized he'd killed so many when it could be avoided. Induction madness created a state of amnesia in the victim regarding their actions while under its influence, and right then, Nephrite decided never to tell Ranma of what he had done.

Finally arriving in the village, the dark general's mind shifted to that of the soldier he had been for so many millennia, and he dispassionately viewed the scene of utter destruction with a keen military eye. Ranma had appeared near the village center, obvious from the fact that the buildings there were absolutely leveled. That was usually the first thing a new negawarrior would do to try to escape the pain: an uncontrolled burst of negaforce with the power to level buildings with it's shockwave and annihilate anything with even a little lifeforce.

From there, Nephrite surmised that his student had attacked the nearest being with any lifeforce, and moved on from there. Bodies littered the ground, and Ranma seemed to be killing as indiscriminately as nature itself. Not even children survived the massacre, and the brown haired negawarrior firmed his resolve to keep the events of this night from his young student.

Finally, the dark general came upon his student, the boy's red tang nearly shredded and his body covered in bruises and small cuts. Obviously the women had tried to resist him, but the fury of an insane negawarrior was not easily defeated, especially in a world that had forgotten negawarriors for twenty millennia. As he approached, Nephrite's eyes narrowed, and the brown haired man slowly began to perceive what Ranma was doing.

As soon as Nephrite understood what his protégé was doing, he called up a kinetic energy construct and launched it at Ranma. The newest negawarrior was bombarding the body of the girl who he'd defeated in the village tournament with pure negaforce, slowly and painfully tearing apart her lifeforce. It was a horrible way to die, and Nephrite couldn't stomach the idea of letting even a hated enemy die of the spiritual equivalent of radiation poisoning, particularly when it was caused by his own crazed student.

Ranma spun when Nephrite attacked, but he was unable to raise his guard in time to block or dodge the incoming construct, the madness obviously impeding his keen tactical mind. The bolt of dark energy slammed into the side of the young negawarrior's head, and he fell bonelessly to the ground, unconscious. Ignoring all else, Nephrite rushed forward and gathered his apprentice into his arms. Reactivating the flight construct, the dark general and his unconscious student fled back to their camp.

That had been three days ago, and only now did Ranma finally awaken. Not having suffered induction madness himself, Nephrite could only hope that his own lessons on the matter were true. He didn't think Ranma's psyche could stand a blow like killing an entire village, even the children.

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Waking was not so painful this time. The quiet chirping of birds and the warm sunlight of morning greeted Shampoo as she slowly climbed from the depths of unconsciousness. Certainly her body still ached as though she had gone through the bakusai tenketsu training without the toughening effects, and her head seemed to be stuffed inside a hornet's nest for the headache. This was like that hangover she'd had after her sixteenth birthday party, but thousands of times worse. Involuntarily, the young amazon groaned. Almost instantly, the face of her great grandmother eclipsed her view of the beautiful, cloudless blue sky.

"Don't try to move, child," her elder said gently. "You've had a rough time of it. Just relax and I'll get you a drink of water."

So saying, the Matriarch move away again, and Shampoo once more regarded the sky. However, it was not the flawless pastel blue of the sky that left her silent. Memories were filtering into her mind; memories of why she now lay here, badly hurt. Almost involuntarily, Shampoo slipped into reverie.

The explosion was the first thing that came to mind, loud and terrifying. The blast had woken her from her bed, and like a good Joketsuzoku, she leapt from her bed with bonbori in hand. It sounded like the last time the central government had tried to take control of the village by force of arms when she had been only seven, and if those communist idiots were back, she would be happy to continue the Amazon tradition of handing them their heads.

A snarl mixed with a smile planted itself on her face at those thoughts, the idea of dealing with normal humans armed with modern technology, while not enjoyable was a welcome distraction from her worry of a daemon attack, but when she exited the house that she shared with her great grandmother, she stopped dead in her tracks. There were no large, mechanized group of soldiers closing on the village, but the houses near the center of the village were leveled as though from a huge blast. Flames had begun to send tendrils of smoke into the air as the rubble began to burn from the little technology the village incorporated: a gas heating system for some of the houses of the extreme elders, older still than her great grandmother, and the young Amazon Champion rushed forward, intent on helping her sisters.

Shampoo had almost reached the scene of the explosion when she first heard the screams, such sounds of pain and anguish as she had never wished to hear. At that sound, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes the size of dinner plates. That was not the sound of battle, but more like the screams of those being tortured to death. Immediately, Shampoo knew what was happening: the daemon had come, just as they'd thought.

Forcing her fear down, Shampoo tightened her grip on her bonbori and clenched her teeth. If she faced the daemon, she would almost certainly die; however, she would sell her life dearly and die a proud, honorable death in battle against hellspawn most foul. After stirring up her courage, Shampoo moved again, drawn by the sounds of her sisters' agony.

As she ran, the young Champion began to see the bodies of those the daemon had already slain, and while this tried to shake her resolve, the sight of little Potion, only six years old, lying dead of what appeared to be electrocution injected pure rage into her blood. She would certainly kill this daemon and save her sisters! She was their Champion, was she not?

Finally she saw it, and the sight boiled her blood to levels of anger, rage, and hatred that she could scarcely fathom. The creature radiated darkness in a ten foot aura easily visible to the naked eye, and it was difficult to see the actually form of the daemon beyond its humanoid stature. In one hand, fitfully twitching and held by the neck, was Comb, a girl only a little younger that Shampoo herself, and from the other the creature was throwing bolts of absolute darkness. One bolt hit a house, shearing through the normally sturdy wood construction, collapsing it. Another struck one of Shampoo's sisters, and the tribal Champion watched in horror as the other Amazon detonated like a small bomb, gore spraying liberally about the area.

Normally, this would have had Shampoo gibbering in fear, but in her rage induced madness, the action only served to heat her already boiling blood, her battle aura surging. Without thinking of the consequences, the Joketsuzoku charged forward screaming a battle cry into the night.

As it had been the day before, hindsight was always crystal clear, and Shampoo reflected on the second time she had made a major mistake due to allowing emotion to control her actions. Charging the hellspawn head on was a sure way to die, and even as the creature tossed Comb's corpse away and placed its full attention on Shampoo, the young Joketsuzoku finally realized this. However, it was much too late to stop now, and she could not dodge when a bolt of black energy struck her in the chest.

The pain was incredible! It felt like the energy was attacking her ki directly, and she spasmed and fell to the ground as her body twitched in agony. For one brief moment of clarity, Shampoo realized that she was lying right outside her own home, and then the creature was upon her. The purple haired Champion could almost sense the daemon's satisfaction as it raised its still indistinct hands toward her prone form, and much as she tried to move, to roll away as her training had taught her, to flee from the thing most horrible, all she could do was stare into its shadowed, human-like form in abject terror. Then all that existed for her was pain until the comfort of unconsciousness finally took her away.

A few tears leaked from Shampoo's eyes as the memories drew to a close. She had been able to do nothing but almost die, and once again her great grandmother had rescued her from certain doom. She felt utterly worthless as a Joketsuzoku; first her pride was stolen by a red headed outlander on the very day she'd earned it, and then she was completely unable to help her sisters when death came for her. Somewhere in the rational part of Shampoo's mind, the young warrior understood that she had not truly failed. She could not be faulted for falling in battle before a hell spawned daemon, but the pain was still the same, her guilt as a survivor of the ordeal as much as her physical pain tormented her.

Shampoo's thoughts halted abruptly as her great grandmother returned. Slowly, and ignoring the old woman's entreats to lie still, the Joketsuzoku Champion pushed herself to a sitting position. Though her entire body ached to lie back down and let her elder care for her, Shampoo's pride, though much abused over the last two months, would not allow it.

When she finally reached a sitting position, she slowly reached for the cup her great grandmother held, and the ancient elder allowed Shampoo to take it, the younger girl slowly sipping the cool, clean contents. As she drank, the purple haired amazon watched as her great grandmother took a seat beside her, the older woman's eyes speaking clearly that she wanted an explanation. Once the cup was drained, Shampoo took a deep breath.

"Honored Elder," she intoned. "I thank you for rescuing me."

At this, Cologne's face fell a bit. Speaking quietly, she said, "Do not trouble yourself over it, child."

Shampoo nodded unsteadily. "Yes, Great Grandmother. I suppose you want to know what I saw."

The old woman did not seem surprised at the question, and Shampoo didn't expect her to be. Cologne nodded gently, and the purple haired Champion began to relate her story to the Joketsuzoku Matriarch.

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Ranma slowly opened his eyes to mid-morning sunshine, memories of his last awakening still fuzzy in his mind. He still ached all over, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. Slowly and carefully, the young negawarrior raised himself to a sitting position. The pigtailed boy was pleased with himself: he'd only winced twice.

Once sitting, Ranma surveyed his whereabouts. Oddly enough, he was back in the camp he'd shared with Nephrite for over two months, and a cheery fire was burning in the ring of stones central to the camp site. Of his teacher, there was no sign, but the other man couldn't be long gone if the fire was going so well.

For a moment, Ranma considered the possibility that it was all a dream. Passing through the dark portal, fighting and eventually killing his own reflection, the absolute pain of the crushing Darkness surrounding him, trying to enter his aura, his very being. For a single moment, he thought that maybe he was only going insane, and that the entire course of events was just a crazy dream. Then he checked his aura.

Ranma gasped and his eyes widened at what he saw: tiny tendrils of black energy moved slowly through his ki! That was where a good three quarters of his pain was coming from, and he didn't know what to make of them.

"So you saw it," came a voice from behind him, and Ranma attempted to whirl to face the speaker. As usual for an injured person, that was a mistake.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes when the pigtailed youth's eyes opened again as Nephrite was still standing there with a bowl of miso and rice and a cup of tea. "You know," he said, sounding amused. "You really should try to curb that jumpy nature of yours. Especially when you're injured."

Ranma didn't particularly appreciate the sarcastic tone or the wry grin on Nephrite's face, but his growl came out more like a groan. Sighing, the pigtailed negawarrior decided to drop the subject in favor of what was going on in his aura.

"You said I saw it, right?" asked Ranma, his tone both worried and intrigued. "What is 'it'?"

Nephrite walked over and knelt across from Ranma before answering, offering the younger man the food. "'It,' as you so eloquently put it, is the negaforce that is currently trying to enter your lifeforce and annihilate with it. That's what happens when you eliminate the barrier between you and the Negaverse."

Ranma found himself slowly nodding at what Nephrite was saying; the older man had explained it before during his lessons. However, Ranma couldn't just leave it at that. "You mean I really did go to that weird, Dark place? And killed my reflection?"

The dark general nodded quietly, his eyes closed, and Ranma bowed his head. He was now forever changed, forever a negawarrior, practicing Nephrite's Art. The pigtailed boy couldn't decide if he was happy or upset at that: happy that he would finally be able to learn all the amazing skills that Nephrite had demonstrated over the last several weeks or upset that he would now and forever have to deal with holding the negaforce at bay lest it destroy him.

"Not having second thoughts, I hope," said Nephrite, seeming to read his mind. Ranma glanced up at his teacher with a 'deer in headlights' expression, and Nephrite chuckled. "No, I wasn't reading your mind or some such. I just remember how I felt when I was inducted. Your first experience with negaforce is never a pleasant one, I'll assure you, but the benefits of its use far out weigh the drawbacks."

"I know," Ranma replied, though he wished that his voice sounded stronger. "It's just a weird feeling to have something that wants to kill me moving around inside my aura."

"It doesn't 'want to kill you,' Ranma," Nephrite replied in a reassuring voice. "It has no mind or will of its own, so it doesn't want to kill you any more than a lava flow does. However, it is still a dangerous and unpredictable energy, so until you have a lot more experience handling it, I'm going to keep the block on your ability to draw it."

"So, what's next?" asked Ranma as he finally recognized that food was close at hand and began to eat with his normal gusto. "You teach me how to keep from killing myself when I try to use this stuff?"

Nephrite smiled in a way that Ranma found none too reassuring as the dark general replied, "Precisely."

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Cologne was holding her great granddaughter close as the girl cried, the elder's hands gently rubbing her heir's back as the child bawled. It was so easy, she reflected, to forget that Shampoo was only a mere girl of sixteen, a babe barely out of diapers to an elder such as she.

Shampoo had only been about halfway through her account of what happened at Nieucheizu when tears began to trickle from her eyes, and when she reached the part of the story regarding Potion, the girl, warrior status and tribal Champion or no, flung her arms around her elder and began to sob. Cologne could well understand her heir's emotions, and while she could not indulge in her own comforted cry, the ancient woman did everything in her power to help assuage her heir's guilt and grief.

As Shampoo continued with her story between fits of weeping, the girl had begun to talk about how she felt about the whole series of events, and Cologne could see the amazing amount of guilt she now held. Her purple haired great granddaughter even spoke of the outsider girl who defeated her just as she won the annual tournament, and Cologne tried everything in her power to calm the girl.

True, she had witnessed Shampoo's break with custom in whipping her fellow warriors into a frenzy and chasing after the red head and her panda, but she never revealed that the two of them were Jusenkyo cursed. Cologne had seen the mark of Jusenkyo on their auras easily, though she could not tell if they were in their birth forms or their cursed ones. In any case, she was loathe to countermand her only heir when the girl had made the decision to form a war party to chase after the red head. Of course, the fact that she realized and mourned her mistake was proof that she would some day be worthy of the Matriarchy, and this please Cologne to no end, though she did not show her happiness.

The amazon Matriarch briefly thought about Shampoo's appearance as the girl cried, but she decided not to tell the girl about her changed form just yet. Seeing how emotionally distraught her heir was, it didn't seem prudent to add to the burden. The week it would require to get to Kunicheizu from their somewhat impromptu encampment would be ample time to break the change to the lavender haired girl.

Continuing her soothing motions, Cologne considered what Shampoo had told her of the battle. The daemon was obviously highly powerful if it could throw bolts of power that would simply vaporize any warrior struck. She had vastly underestimated the power of the hellspawn, and the village had paid for her misjudgment. A hard edge came across the old woman's face as she felt her anger toward the beast that would kill her people.

It was a long hour after Shampoo's story ended that the girl finally finished her weeping. Much to Cologne's approval, she immediately distanced herself from the woman who raised her and bowed, asking forgiveness at her unworthy behavior. While the ancient elder kept her face impassive, she inwardly beamed at this observance of custom, once again affirming her choice of Shampoo as the heir to the Matriarchy. Of course, that would not happen now, but she could still be proud of her descendant.

"Rise, Child," Cologne said in a gentle manner. "As long as you understand and atone for your mistakes, the law has no problems with your actions."

The elder's face darkened as she continued, her voice taking on a hard edge. "The death of Nieucheizu rests on the daemon." 'And myself,' she added silently.

"For now, Great Granddaughter, we must leave here and make our way to Kunicheizu," she commanded in her more normal tone. "The other Joketsuzoku must know of the events that have transpired here."

Once again pleasing her, Shampoo placed a serious expression on her face as she nodded, completely recovering from her previous emotive overload. Such was a necessary trait in a warrior, and the purple haired amazon could always put her emotions aside to complete that which must be done. It was only a scant half hour before the pair of Joketsuzoku began to make their way toward the sister village of Nieucheizu and what ever fate had in store for them.

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Nephrite nodded slowly as Ranma meditated, still in his girl form after the light rain earlier in the day. He had slowly adjusted the negaforce block he'd placed on his now female student, and now she was handling a full five percent of the normal flow, a very impressive achievement only a week since her induction. The dark general had required a significantly longer time, nearly two months, before he'd been able to handle a similar amount of power.

"Alright, Ranma," said Nephrite. "That's enough meditation for today."

The dark blue glow surrounding his student faded slowly, and a few seconds later Ranma opened her crystalline blue eyes. "Alright," she said softly, her amazement at the feel of negaforce, now controlled, evident on her face. "What's next, Sensei?"

"A talk, I think," replied the brown haired negawarrior, and he proceeded to sit in front of his young student.

"Whacha wanna talk about?" Ranma's tone was quizzical, and her face certainly showed her interest.

"I think it's time we moved on, Ranma," Nephrite said after a moment. "Your training is far enough along that we can head back toward civilization."

Ranma's eyes lit up, and the dark general couldn't help but feel that his student really was a girl. Just for a moment.

"You mean we can go back to Japan?" she asked, her voice filled with the same light as her eyes.

"I guess we can go that direction," replied Nephrite, nodding. Then he added in his own mind, 'Nowhere is further from or nearer to the Dark Kingdom.'

"Yatta!" Ranma cried out, jumping to her feet and almost dancing around. "I can go home!" Slowly, the red head came back to herself from her happiness, and then her face lost a bit of its newly found light. "China has too many bad memories. Oya- Otousan... Jusenkyo... Those damned women... I don't think I ever want to come back here."

Seeing her spirits falling, Nephrite quickly said, "Tell you what. Why don't we go over a couple of new constructs this afternoon and get an early start tomorrow morning?"

Her smile returning in full force along with that determined gleam in her eye that Nephrite found so endearing in his apprentice, Ranma nodded resolutely and said, "Right!"

The dark general returned the nod, once more reaffirming his decision never to tell his young charge what she had done to 'those women.'

'She... he must be ready to join the Dark Kingdom before we reach Japan...' Nephrite thought, his face still portraying enjoyment. 'And I'll make sure he is.'

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Author's Notes:

Wow, I'm actually managing something like timely updates for once! I think this idea about writing on a fic until it has full out writers block is a good one, and I'm going to try to keep it up. Of course, all I ask is that you don't kill me if I don't.

BTW, to anyone who is still complaining about my use of nega-terms, please read the public notice on my profile page on ffnet and give it a rest. I really hope that anyone with complaints due to my terms understands by this point in the story, but if not, just read the damn public notice!

I tried a new style in this chapter: namely, describing events as memories of the various participants. Please tell me what you think of it. Later, all.


	9. Chapter 3 E1: Pure Light

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

And now, for another installment of Shakespeare for the Fanfic Disclaimer!

Double double attorney trouble,

Authors burn and characters bubble!

Fillet of disclaimer snake

In the Fanfic boil and bake!

Pigtail of jerk and umbrella of pork,

Wool of panda and mallet of dork,

Amazon's bonbori and blind fool's sting

Green skirt's sempai and Meatball head's wing,

For a Fanfic of powerful Trouble,

Like Hell broth, boil and bubble!

Thank you.

Note: the author apologizes for this butchering of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I

Chapter Three: Dreaming in Moonlight

Episode One: Pure Light

--------------------------------

"Aaaagh!"

The standard morning cry in the Tsukino household echoed from the room of the eldest child, heralding her normal status.

"I'm LATE!!" cried Tsukino Usagi as she raced from her room and down the stairs. The girl's long blonde pigtails streamed behind her from under the small, ball-shaped odongo buns on either side of her head. "Mom! Why didn't you call me sooner?!"

"I did, dear," replied Usagi's mother, a blue-haired woman in a modest housedress named Ikuko. "You just didn't wake up."

The elder Tsukino woman held out a cloth-wrapped bundle as her daughter franticly tried to put on her shoes and tied the neckerchief of her sailor-style school uniform. "Don't forget your lunch, dear."

Without looking, Usagi snagged the bento from her mother's outstretched hand and raced out the door, one of her shoes still untied and her kerchief crooked. Her hurried cry of, "Thanksmomseeyoulaterloveyou!" drifted back into the house through the still open entrance, barely intelligible to anyone other than her mother. Ikuko smiled as she watched her daughter run toward school and thought, 'If only that girl would apply herself in school the way she does when fighting with her brother, I think she'd be a good student.'

Sighing, Ikuko walked back into the kitchen to continue her usual morning routine with her second cup of coffee and a newspaper.

--------------------------------

Queen Beryl surveyed the three dark generals standing before her once their bows of loyalty were complete, but she wondered at the surprising absence of her fourth general, Nephrite. Thinking for a moment and then remembering that she had told him that there was no hurry in returning, she dismissed her musings on his whereabouts for the moment in favor of commanding the negawarriors presently standing before her.

"Jadeite," she intoned formally.

The blonde general stepped forward and placed his fist over his heart. "Yes, my Queen?"

"Since we have yet to detect the ginzuishou, I believe it is time to begin collecting lifeforce," Beryl said in a commanding tone. "I will entrust this task to you. As you know, it requires a great deal of energy to train youma to survive on Terra and to transport them there, so I expect you to gain more lifeforce than you use. It is a very precious commodity at this point."

"Yes, my Queen," replied Jadeite. "The task is already begun. I have recently infiltrated a few of my youma into the Terran city of Tokyo. It seems that the city is one of the areas on Terra that allows for survival on both sides of the nul-space, like Dark Moon here."

"Hmm." Beryl put a finger to her chin in thought. "Perhaps we should concentrate our efforts there, then. It would save a great deal of energy since the youma would require less training to simply survive."

"My thoughts exactly, my Queen," replied Jadeite, his mouth curling into a smirk.

"Very well, Jadeite," the red-haired queen said, a cruel smile slowly spreading across her face. "Go and make certain that your operations are successful."

"At once!" Jadeite replied in as strong voice, and in a black flash of power, the dark general was gone.

"Zoisite," Queen Beryl called, turning to the next general. "I am giving you the task of searching for the ginzuishou, but I want you to remain discreet in your inquiries. The last thing we need is for anyone remembering the Silver Millennium to know of our search, and the guardians of the crystal will almost certainly be such persons."

Placing fist over heart, the effeminate man bowed to his Queen. "I understand, your Majesty. I will begin work at once."

Rather than teleporting out, Zoisite turned once Beryl gave him a nod of dismissal and walked away, disappearing in the darkness of the throne room.

"And what of me, my Queen?" asked Kunzite, lowering his eyes in deference.

"Kunzite," Beryl intoned, raising one of her eyebrows. "It is unlike you to speak out of turn."

"My apologies, your Majesty," he replied, keeping his gaze upon the steps to the throne.

"No matter," she said with a dismissing wave of her hand. "I require your expertise in training the youma. You are the most experienced and powerful negawarrior we have in the Dark Kingdom, and so I will entrust you to outfit our warrior youma and train them to survive on Terra."

Fist over heart, Kunzite gave a short bow accompanied with the words, "Of course, my Queen."

A moment later he strode into the darkness of the throne room, leaving Beryl to her thoughts. 'Where are you, Nephrite?'

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Ranma looked at his sensei from the corner of his eye as the two negawarriors walked through the streets of Hong Kong, the younger man regarding the older one. Nephrite's training was intense and difficult, but that was just how Ranma liked it.

During the two-week-long walk to the island city, Nephrite had been teaching Ranma many of the most basic constructs, those used for sensory enhancement and lifeforce collection. While Ranma was a bit dubious about harvesting 'fuel' from other humans, the one time he'd tried to draw from a plant was highly disappointing. While the tree did have ki, it was not of the grade and concentration necessary to combine with negaforce for any real effect, and when focused to the degree needed to become useful, there was so little actual lifeforce as to make the effort of collection pointless. In the end, the pigtailed negawarrior decided that he would simply make the effort not to kill or permanently harm those from whom he 'harvested'.

Ranma unconsciously shrugged his shoulders. It was an uncomfortable feeling, the ki in his reserves not being his own, but it was the best way. He spied another subtle glance at his sensei; Nephrite, he supposed, was used to the feeling, but Ranma, having been aware of his ki for so long before becoming a negawarrior, felt the foreign lifeforce in his aura as a strange, almost slimy, sensation over his skin. Still, in line with how his father had trained him, he was keeping his reserves full in an attempt to 'toughen himself up' against the feeling. He figured that he had maybe another week or two, judging by how long it took him to toughen his body this way, before it would no longer bother him.

He sighed, finally eliciting a response from his sensei; the pigtailed negawarrior was tired from a long week of training and travel.

"What's wrong, Ranma?" asked the brown-haired negawarrior. "You've made great strides as a negawarrior, more than I'd have ever thought you would in such a short time."

Ranma veritably glowed with pride as Nephrite said this, but his emotions still troubled him. It was as though the foreign ki was affecting his ability to center himself, and that was not a feeling that Ranma liked. "I feel like I haven't learned enough in the past week, sensei," the younger man replied.

"What on Terra do you mean, Ranma?" asked Nephrite, concern and puzzlement obvious in his tone. "I've never seen a neophyte negawarrior learn anywhere near as quickly as you."

"I guess so," Ranma sounded dubious. "But...shouldn't I be able to do some of the combat maneuvers you showed me in the mountains? Or maybe even control my curse?"

Nephrite smiled. "Don't trouble yourself, apprentice. All things in time, as one of my sensei once told me. The sensory constructs are the basis of all others: if you cannot sense what you wish to alter, how can you possibly make the correct change?"

Ranma nodded along with this line of reasoning; it made a great deal of sense to him. However, before the young negawarrior could reply, Nephrite continued.

"As for affecting your curse," he said, his voice seeming graver than before. "I doubt that there is a construct that could affect it."

Ranma's face fell, but Nephrite continued, not seeing his apprentice's distress. "I took a look at your curse just after you revealed it, and it is not mana-based magic or sorcery. It is a form of magic that we called 'divine' in the Silver Millennium, and neither mana-based magic nor negaforce constructs could affect it, and sorcery is definitely out if neither of those can alter it."

The pigtailed man sighed again; it seemed that he would be doomed to become a girl forever if something as powerful as negawarrior constructs could not affect the curse.

"Don't let it bother you, Ranma," said Nephrite, trying in inject a bit of cheer into his voice. "No matter the outside form, you're still the same person."

Ranma nodded unconsciously at the statement, knowing it to be true.

As the two men had talked, Ranma had stopped paying attention to his surroundings. When he finally looked up, he noticed that they were at an airport, the loud roar of jet engines, propelling multi-ton flying machines high into the sky, cutting through his introspective mood.

"Sensei?" he asked, a bit puzzled by their destination.

"I'm going to buy you a ticket to Japan, Ranma," said Nephrite, and Ranma could almost feel the cryptic nature of his teacher's statement.

"You make it sound like you're not coming with me," replied the pigtailed youth.

"I'm not, technically," Nephrite continued. "I need to visit the Kingdom and find out what is going on; I've been out of touch for nearly three months. I will meet you in Tokyo; just use that beacon construct I taught you yesterday when you arrive, and I'll find you."

Ranma nodded absently, but then said, "Hey! Why not let me come with you?"

"You are not ready to survive the Negaverse at large, and I'm not going to leave you alone in Dark Moon while I catch up with the Queen and my subordinates," replied Nephrite in a voice that brooked no argument. "I will meet you in Tokyo."

After staring at his sensei for a few more seconds, Ranma nodded in an almost sullen manner. He didn't like the idea of leaving his sensei so early in his training, but if Nephrite thought it best, he would comply. Without further argument, Ranma followed the older negawarrior toward the ticket counter for Japan Airlines.

"Oh, I almost forgot," said the dark general, digging into the pocket of his uniform and drawing out a plastic card and a piece of paper. "Here's some money, Ranma. I opened an account with a bank in Tokyo, and I put enough money on that card to last you until I can get there. The pin for the account is on that piece of paper. Try to get us an apartment or something when you get there. It may be a day or two before I can join you, so you also might want to enroll in school."

After taking the card and paper and sliding them into his pocket, Ranma looked at the older negawarrior incredulously. "School? Why would I want to do that?!"

Nephrite sighed. "Unless humans have changed quite a bit since we were sealed away, I believe that it is customary for teenagers to go to school when in urban areas where they are staying on a semi-permanent basis, right?" Ranma nodded in a sullen manner at this, and the dark general continued. "So if you don't go to school, then it will look suspicious, and we don't want to attract any attention."

Now it was Ranma's turn to sigh; Nephrite had a good point. "Alright," he said in an exhausted tone after a moment's thought. "I'll enroll in school."

Nephrite nodded almost absently, and Ranma thought, 'Good thing I got a passport even though me an' Pop swam here.'

--------------------------------

Usagi raced toward her school, her mind on nothing but the sign she would surely be wearing in the hall during her first class. She knew that her family and friends thought she was lazy, but she really wasn't. She just had a really, really hard time waking up in the morning.

Her breaths came in gasps as she made top speed through the main commercial area near her house toward Juuban Junior High, and her feet beat the ground in surprisingly long strides. Nonetheless, when she heard the angry, pain-filled yowling of a cat in distress, she managed to stop without falling flat on her face, something that would have surprised her friends and family.

Three little boys had cornered a small black cat in a parking lot and were using it for target practice with pieces of gravel. Just as the blonde-haired girl stopped, a small stone glanced off of the kitty's bandage-covered forehead, and it spun to face the aggressor, hissing.

Usagi's blood boiled at the sight. 'Of all the cruel, heartless things to do!' she thought indignantly. 'How dare they pick on a poor, sweet little kitty cat!'

Running into the parking lot, Usagi yelled, "Hey, you little brats!! Stop picking on that poor cat!"

The three boys, obviously still in primary school or perhaps even younger, looked up from their sport to see an angry teenage girl shouting at them. A moment later, that same girl raced forward with a fist raised to attack, and they yelled at her unintelligibly as they ran away.

Gritting her teeth at the boys, Usagi shook her fist in the air and shouted after them, "Yeah! And don't pick on poor, helpless animals anymore!!"

After a couple more seconds of fuming, the blonde-haired girl turned to the cat she'd saved. Kneeling down and lifting the cat into her arms, she cooed, "There there, kitty. Those boys won't hurt you any more."

Absently, she began to pick at the bandage that was taped to the cat's forehead as she was petting it, but just as she lifted a corner of the bandage, a bright light blinded her for a moment. Usagi gasped, and the cat yowled, jumping from her arms and running away. The blonde teen's eyes cleared just in time to see the small crescent moon on the cat's forehead.

"Well," she said in a huff. "That's gratitude for you. Now, what was I doing?"

Usagi lifted a finger to her chin, and then yelled. "Gaagh! I'm late!" With that, the blonde, ponytailed girl raced off toward school at top speeds, amazing her normal spectators by not tripping even once along the way.

--------------------------------

Osaka Naru glanced at the empty desk to her right, absently smoothing the blue skirt of her seifuku. It was pretty normal for Usagi to be late, but if she didn't shape up soon, her friend would be in a lot of trouble. School had been in for only three weeks, and Usagi hadn't been on time for more than two days during the first term of her second year in junior high. A moment later, Naru's eyes found the teacher's desk, and the fact that Haruna-sensei wasn't already there was more than a little disturbing to the short-haired girl. Haruna-sensei was always there when she arrived for class; every day, that is, until today. It was really weird.

"Hey Naru-san!"

Naru jumped, broken from her reverie by Umino's voice. She scowled at the unfortunate boy and growled, "Umino! How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me?!"

Though it was hard to tell through the boy's thick glasses, Naru thought that she'd hurt his feelings, so she moderated her tone as the scowl left her face. "Sorry Umino-kun," she said in a much kinder tone. "What's up?"

The hurt look vanished from the nerdish boy's face, and he continued with his normal exuberant nature, pulling a small notepad from the breast pocket of his blue uniform jacket. "I saw Haruna-sensei going to the gym last night, and boy does she look good now!" Umino pulled a few photos from between the pages of the notepad and showed them to Naru.

Naru's eyes narrowed as she looked at the photos, seeing pictures of their brown-haired teacher wearing a yellow and black leotard and working out on a treadmill. "Umino," she said slowly, a slightly dangerous tone seeping into her voice. "Why do you have these pictures?"

"Well," he replied in seeming obliviousness. "I'm kind of the school information dealer, right? But I can't get good prices on info if I don't have proof." Finally noticing Naru's anger, Umino showed that he had at least SOME perceptive ability when it came to other people. "Of course, I still want to go out with Usagi."

Then again, maybe he still needs to work on that particular form of perception. Naru's face once more turned down into a scowl, and the girl with the wavy, reddish hair crossed her arms over her chest and sat down with a huff, pointedly ignoring the boy beside her.

"Naru-san," whined Umino plaintively. "Don't ignore me like that!"

Still angry, the girl snappishly replied, "Well, if you want to date her so much, why don't you go see that new fortune teller on Tenth Street for some tips. Maybe then you'll have a snowball's chance of going out with Usagi-chan."

Totally missing her anger, Umino sighed. "Usagi...chaaaan," he said in a sickeningly besotted voice that only served to feed Naru's anger. Of course, she didn't want to go out with him, but he shouldn't blatantly ignore her and talk about her best friend!

Just then the door to the classroom slammed open, and Naru's eyes immediately found the cause, her eyes widening. Where she thought she would see an angry Haruna-sensei, she instead found Usagi, huffing and puffing as if the blonde-haired girl had run the entire distance from her house to the school.

"Sorry...I'm late...Haruna-sensei," she gasped out between breaths. A moment later it seemed that she had noticed Haruna-sensei's very conspicuous absence, and her eyes searched the room for the reason.

"Usagi-chan!" called Naru, pleased that, for once, her best friend had made it to class before the teacher. "Over here!"

Usagi smiled even though she was still breathing hard and walked over to her desk and dropped into the seat. "Naru-chan! What's going on? Where is Haruna-sensei?"

Before Naru could reply, Umino spoke, "Usagi-chan! Good morning!"

All Naru could do was sigh; the idiot's entire world was Usagi now. However, Usagi didn't seem to notice either of her friends' moods, and she replied, "Good morning, Umino-kun. Where is Haruna-sensei?"

Umino opened his mouth to speak, but before any words could come out, the question was answered.

"Good morning, class," groaned an obviously worn out Haruna, her voice listless. Her eyelids were drooping as she slowly walked through the door, and the enervated woman's red dress was rumpled as though she'd slept in it. The teacher slowly made her way from the door to her desk at the front of the room, her feet dragging on the ground. Once she sat, she spoke again in the same exhausted tone. "If anyone is absent, please raise your hand."

After briefly scanning the room with tired eyes, she continued. "Okay, everyone is on free study today." And with that, she dropped her head atop her crossed arms on her desk, instantly asleep.

The entire class blink-blinked along with Naru as the teacher began to snore, and surprisingly enough, it was Usagi who recovered first.

"Yay!" cried the happy blonde as she dropped a small, cloth-wrapped bundle onto her desk. "No school work for the whole day!"

As Usagi started unwrapping her lunch, Naru continued to stare in shock at Haruna-sensei. This was completely unlike her teacher, and it gave Naru a bad feeling. Trying to ignore her foreboding, the auburn-haired teen turned her attention back to Usagi and Umino.

"...and Sailor V caught a jewel thief last night!" the male of the trio was saying with a bit more exuberance than even his normal attitude, and Naru rolled her eyes at what she'd termed 'the Usagi effect' on Umino.

"Sailor V?" Usagi asked, genuinely perplexed. "Who is Sailor V?"

Umino's eyes widened and he said, "What?! You've never heard of Sailor V?!"

Putting a finger to her lips in a thoughtful expression, Usagi replied, "Nope."

The geeky boy managed what sounded like an exasperated but indulgent sigh, and Naru's mood continued to slide toward anger at him. 'Quit hamming it up, nerd-boy,' she thought in a venomous tone.

"I can't believe you've never heard of Sailor V, Usagi," Umino finally continued, his eyes seeming to gain some intensity behind his thick glasses. "Sailor V is a superhero that fights crime in a sailor fuku! She showed up in Juuban about a month ago, and crime rates are really down since then."

"Hmm," replied Usagi through a mouthful of rice from her bento. "Muff mmm mungeran...."

"Usagi," Naru said, stopping her friend. "Wait until you swallow."

The happy blonde nodded vigorously at her friend, proceeded to almost choke because of her action, and finally swallowed her food. She gasped for breath for a moment before saying, "Sorry, Naru-chan. I was saying that I can understand why someone would want to steal jewels after seeing how much they're worth at your mom's shop."

"Oh yeah," Naru replied, her eyes lighting up. "That's right! I was going to invite you over to my mom's shop tonight; she's having a big sale!"

Usagi's eyes lit up at that, and she spoke, if possible, with triple her normal excitement. "Really?!?! Okay, let's go after school!!"

Then the girls started talking about jewelry, which led rings, which predictably, for teenage girls, led to cute boys. Naru saw Umino walk away, dejected by the complete ignorance the girls turned toward the nerdish boy, but she only thought it served him right.

--------------------------------

JAL flight seven twenty one from Hong Kong to Tokyo would have been a mind-numbing four hours despite the fact that Nephrite had sprung for a first class ticket, but Ranma was able to spend the time going through what few possessions he'd taken from his father's pack after his old man was killed. With everything that had been going on, Ranma hadn't taken the time to inventory the items, but on such a long flight....

First he found four martial arts scrolls and three manuals, among them the Nekoken manual. Shivering slightly as he returned that particular manual to his pack, he took a look at the scrolls. Two of them were sealed with spirit wards, the names Yama Sen Ken and Umi Sen Ken as well as the character for 'forbidden' written on them. Ranma set them inside his pack with the Nekoken manual; no sense in tampering with the forbidden...right now.

The other two manuals were techniques he remembered Genma teaching him when he was younger as was one of the scrolls, though Ranma resolved to reread them later to see if he could glean any greater knowledge from them. The last remaining scroll detailed an interesting technique for drawing ki out of the environment or objects for personal use, in concept not too different from the energy-draining constructs Nephrite had recently taught him. The problem with the technique was that the ki had to be highly emotionally charged to be of any use, so the scroll suggested stealing women's undergarments and groping them in private areas to make it work. Ranma could only shake his head at doing something so perverted just to get a little energy, and resolved to find a way to make the technique work without any kind of hentai activity. After returning that last scroll to his backpack, Ranma idly wondered about the scroll's author, someone named Happosai.

Also among his father's belongings were a letter and a postcard, and those two items, written in his father's hand, were of particular interest to Ranma. The letter was to his mother and detailed a bit about their training journey as well as asking her to meet them at the Tendo dojo in Nerima. Unfortunately, there was no address for his mother anywhere on the letter, and the envelope was blank, not yet addressed. The post card, the picture of a panda in a bamboo forest on the back seeming almost prophetic in a mildly disturbing way, was addressed to that same dojo, and it read very simply: 'Sorry Tendo. Bringing Ranma from China later than expected. Saotome.'

Ranma was a bit puzzled by that one, but both letters pointed to a place called the Tendo dojo, so he guessed that he would have to go there at some point. Right now, however, he wanted to get away from thoughts of his father. The pigtailed negawarrior could already feel his brief musings threaten to pull him back into his deep depression, so he resolved to think about that later.

Two hours later, Ranma had landed at Narita airport and taken the train over to Shinjuku, remembering from the last time he'd been in Japan that Shinjuku was a pretty populated area. After catching lunch at a noodle shop, Ranma made his way through the city looking for likely apartments, but none seemed to be available in Shinjuku. Not really paying attention to his direction or location, Ranma headed in a basically southeast direction, and after some walking, he found himself in Minato, only realizing it when he saw the Tokyo Tower in the near city skyline.

Spotting a small kissa near the tower, Ranma ordered some tea, and after seating himself at one of the outdoor tables, he relaxed, thinking about how nice it was to be back in Tokyo, especially in mid April with the cherry trees in full bloom. Looking at a convenient clock, he saw that it was nearly two o'clock in the afternoon, and that meant that he had only three hours to find an apartment…or he'd be sleeping in one of these parks tonight. Leaning back and throwing back his head to finishing the hot beverage, the pigtailed youth stood and walked into an area of Minato known as Azabu Juuban.

--------------------------------

School had just ended, and Gurio Umino watched as Naru and Usagi left the campus together. A second after the two girls walked out of sight, Umino let his overly exuberant demeanor slide away, his depression coming to the forefront. The boy sighed; he didn't understand why they shied away from him. He was honestly trying his best!

After a moment's contemplation, Umino began his lonely trek home. As he walked, his mind analyzed the day's events. Certainly, Haruna-sensei's complete exhaustion and the subsequent free time at school was a surprise, but as an information dealer, he had to remain objective about most things. He was commonly in contact with the information dealers at other schools, and there was always the boss, Tendo Nabiki, over at Furinkan High School to emulate. However, he just couldn't manage the total Ice Queen (or King, in his case) demeanor that Tendo-sama was able to project, so he went for the hapless nerd look instead. It kept most people off his back, and even if he didn't have the intimidation factor or gambling rings that the Ice persona would have allowed, he was content to simply sell or give information as he wished. After all, he wasn't in high school yet, so he still had time to prepare before entering the 'big leagues'.

In the end, though, there was no way that only his mastery of information handling would impress either Usagi or Naru, and this made the young man very upset. He liked the two of them far more than he even liked himself, but he could never seem to get their attention. Or, at least, their favorable attention.

Suddenly, his brief chat with Naru that morning returned to his mind. "Well, if you want to date her so much," Naru had said, "why don't you go see that new fortune teller on Tenth Street for some tips? Maybe then you'll have a snowball's chance of going out with Usagi-chan."

While he still ignored the 'snowball' comment, Umino immediately perked up. So what if Tendo-sama said that fortunetellers were a complete scam? As long as he kept that in mind and only followed advice he found sound, what was there to lose? His decision made, he turned at the next avenue and made his way to Tenth Street.

After a bit more walking, he arrived at the small park on Tenth Street where a wagon was parked. Umino almost laughed aloud at the idea of a gypsy in Japan, but he managed to actually present a cool, if not cold, demeanor as he walked up to the door. A smirk almost broke the persona he was projecting as he thought, 'Tendo-sama would be proud of me if she could see me now!' However, due to the very nature of his thought, he managed to keep his happiness to himself.

Three quick, precise knocks elicited a call of, "Enter," from within the wagon, and the teenage boy turned the knob, opening the door to a strange scene, at least to a Japanese. There were all sorts of books and candles littered about the interior of the wagon, and quite a few wicks were burning to give the only light. Recognized from some old western films, a woman sat at a small, round table with her eyes closed, a crystal ball forming the centerpiece of the table.

While no wrinkles covered her face, she still had enough bearing and mystery to seem ageless to the young information dealer. A traditional scarf covered her head, and her dress was voluminous, covering her entire body short of her face, neck, and hands. The woman had a slight smirk adorning her face as her dark eyes opened for the first time since he'd arrived.

"Sit down, Gurio Umino," she said quietly in a calm, knowing voice, her Japanese accented like that of a Russian, but that command was nearly enough to break the young man's cool demeanor and have him running out the door. 'How did she know my name?!' he thought in compete shock. However, with thoughts of Tendo-sama being proud of him shoring up his courage, he managed to keep his persona as a cool and collected individual, and he sat in the chair opposing the gypsy woman.

"I see that you have come to me with a problem, Gurio-san," she continued after he sat down, her hands moving to almost cup the crystal ball and her eyes gazing into its depths. "You wish for the company of a certain young woman, but you don't know how to get her attention."

Umino found himself nodding along with the woman, but quickly stopped himself. What would Tendo-sama think if some bogus fortuneteller were able to psyche him out? Taking an iron grip on his emotions, Umino decided that he would weather the storm of the woman's supposed all knowing nature.

The woman looked up just as Umino once again had control of his emotions, and she commanded, "Gaze into my eyes, Gurio-san."

Without thinking, Umino did as she asked, and the red glow that suffused those midnight blue orbs of absolute intensity seemed to latch onto his soul. Her eyes widened as she captured his, and she spoke in a soft, seductive tone.

"You, Gurio Umino, are the powerful servant of a great and mighty daemon." The words seemed to take hold as truth in his clouded mind as the glow of her eyes burrowed deep into his spirit. The woman raised her hand, and he looked down to see a small, black crystal fragment lying on the table before him. His hand twitched with the desire, almost need, to reach out and take it for his own.

"As long as you possess this artifact, the power of your master goes with you," she continued in the same tone. "You can do anything you desire, and anything you desire will be yours, so long as you carry this crystal with you."

An ugly, cruel smirk made its way over Umino's face as he heard those words, and his hand darted out to grab the crystal from the table. "Then I will go," he said to the fortuneteller, and with that the young man left the wagon, dark deeds alone on his mind as his glasses flashed in the mid-afternoon sunlight.

--------------------------------

The door slammed shut, and the fortuneteller smiled a smile that deformed her human-looking face into something dark and terrible, a cruel look that could never rest on a human face. "Master Jadeite," it whispered; the sound of its true voice would have caused a human to shudder if one had been present. "I will have a great deal of lifeforce for you when next you come."

--------------------------------

Nephrite appeared in the antechamber to Queen Beryl's throne room, the excess energy of his transfer from Terra bleeding off like a black mist in the dimly lit room. The dark general slowly opened his eyes to the very familiar architecture of the Dark Palace that had been his home for over five thousand years.

After only a moment's wait, a youma, one of the queen's elite guard, moved forward to greet him, her serpentine lower body slithering sinuously across the ground. The youma's upper body was that of a nominally beautiful human woman with fairly bountiful assets, especially when one considered that she wore absolutely no clothing. Of course, the image of beauty was marred, at least in a human's eyes, by her strange diamond-shaped pupils surrounded by yellow irises and the thin, forked tongue that lent her words a disturbing hiss. "General Nephrite," she said, her voice in a deadly but respectful tone. "Queen Beryl has been expecting you. Please follow me."

The brown-haired negawarrior nodded to the youma and immediately followed as she undulated across the black crystal floor toward the doors to the throne room, the two youma standing guard there, looking like yellow-furred skeletons, saluting as they passed. The doors to the seat of Beryl's kingdom glinted dully in the wan light of the antechamber, their black crystal construction lending them an otherworldly feel, and that feel was enhanced as the doors apparently swung open of their own accord. To Nephrite, all of this was normal, but for some reason he was reminded of his first time here, and he was only just barely able to suppress the shudder from that memory.

The Dark Palace was not the original capitol of the Dark Kingdom; that honor was given to a distant and almost forgotten ruin far away from the current seat of power. This fortress was built just outside of Dark Moon, and was a fairly recent addition in the history of the Dark Kingdom, some forty millennia long. Being built only five thousand years ago, give or take a decade, the dark general well remembered the grand ceremony that had transferred the throne from its former position to this dark place. The Palace itself was a gift from Metallia, who constructed it from a single, enormous black crystal using the pure negaforce that was the source of that deific being's power; this place served both as the seat of government for the Dark Kingdom and as the Cathedral of Metallia, the center of her worship. The very architecture of the Dark Palace exuded menace and fear, and Nephrite thought it fitting that this place would hold the throne of a kingdom ruled by one such as Beryl.

The throne room itself was a wonder to behold, the delicate mixing of indirect light and deep shadow a mirror for the personality of the ruler of the Dark Kingdom. Glancing about, Nephrite noticed the conspicuous lack of fawning courtiers and sycophants that normally populated the chamber; the only being present besides himself and his escort was Beryl herself. The red-haired queen of the Dark Kingdom and ruler of the vast majority of the Negaverse itself sat straight in her throne, the light only illuminating half of her pale face. That face, one that Nephrite had seen display emotions from cruelty to anger and hatred, was expressionless, and her eyes were closed.

Being not a fool, the entering negawarrior knew that his queen was aware of his presence, but as his escort saluted him and left, he simply knelt, fist over heart, awaiting his queen's word. For five minutes he waited, still and silent, and just as he was beginning to think that he should speak, Beryl's quiet voice broke the silence like an explosion, the energy and intensity that was the ruler's trademark filling the words regardless of their volume.

"Nephrite. It has been some time since I last saw you, nearly three Terran months if I'm not mistaken."

The kneeling negawarrior did not reply to his queen's rhetorical question, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Well," Beryl continued after a full minute, and Nephrite could hear the smile in her voice, casually cruel as always. "I suppose that since I specifically told you that there was no time requirement for returning, I will forgive your absence during the final briefing."

Nephrite felt his control slip, just a little, with a slight widening of his eyes, but Beryl saw the slight movement and continued, the smile in her voice becoming more apparent.

"Yes, Nephrite. The war to retake Terra has already begun, but do not trouble yourself. I am more concerned with what was so interesting or important that one of my generals would be gone for three months on a scouting mission that, if I remember your previous missions, should have taken no longer than a week. Please, rise and enlighten me as to what detained you on Terra for so long."

Obeying her command, Nephrite stood and looked up at his queen, her beauty having never faded in all the years since he first saw her standing next to King Endymion when he'd been chosen as a Candidate for Guardianship, and the dark general paused a few seconds to gather his thoughts.

"My Queen," Nephrite began in a respectful tone. "It is true that under normal circumstances I would have returned much sooner, but upon reaching Terra, I discovered something, or rather, someone, who could be a powerful ally to our cause."

The dark general paused, and into his brief silence Beryl raised a knuckle delicately to her chin with a thoughtful expression and interjected, "Hmm. Most interesting. Please continue, Nephrite."

Nodding once, Nephrite spoke once more. "I found a boy with an incredible amount of lifeforce and a great deal of talent at manipulating it. I managed to gain the boy's trust and tested him; he has great potential to become a powerful negawarrior, and I know that we have very few negawarriors at our disposal."

Beryl nodded slowly, but the queen's eyes narrowed as she spoke. "While what you say is true, the time required to train a person even to the lowest levels of negaforce use is prohibitively long, far too long for our current needs. As I recall, the average candidate for induction requires three years of training to undertake the final challenge, and then another year before they can wield even the simplest of constructs easily enough for battle. Not to mention that even this level can only be achieved if the teacher is diligent and knowledgeable, all his time spent on the training. Considering that the invasion has already begun, this boy could not be ready in time to aid us in our quest. Even if he was able to attain negawarrior status as quickly as you, the timetable has Terra once again in our possession within the year, so I would deem his training a waste of time and resources at this juncture."

"Normally, I would agree with you, my queen," Nephrite replied, unable to keep a smug expression from his face though Beryl's face darkened with mild indignation. "However, he was ready for induction after only nine weeks of training."

At this revelation, all pretense of emotional control left Beryl's face, and for just a moment, her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Of course, she quickly recovered her superior expression, but Nephrite was very pleased at the ruler's reaction.

"Absolutely amazing!" Beryl said after regaining her control. "In fact, if it had come from any mouth but yours, I would have the speaker tortured for lying, but I know that none of my generals would ever lie to me." The last few words of her speech were accentuated by a hard, soul-delving stare into Nephrite's eyes, the power of which he could feel testing his resolve.

For nearly a minute, silence reigned in the throne room; then Beryl continued, an eyebrow raised. "I see. So he is already inducted?"

The brown-haired negawarrior nodded to his queen, and the red-haired negalyte asked, "What of his loyalty? I will not have a negawarrior of dubious allegiance, trained by our hand, turning on us. It has been a long time since we recruited a human."

"My Queen," replied Nephrite in a tone of absolute confidence. "He is completely loyal to me as his teacher, and I've been educating him in our ways and cause. Once his training is complete, I will be able to present to you a negawarrior of excellent skill and power, one who has no loyalty above the Dark Kingdom."

Slowly, and for the first time in millennia, a real smile spread across Queen Beryl's face, her eyes almost shining with possibility. "If all that you say is true, Nephrite," she said in a truly pleased tone, "then your mission is one of the most successful in a very, very long time. I shall leave you to training your apprentice for the time being; however, if I have a mission for you, I expect you to set the training aside and complete it without delay."

"Of course, My Queen."

"Very well, then," Beryl continued in a formal tone. "You are dismissed, Nephrite. Be sure to bring me a powerful negawarrior at the completion of his training."

Nephrite saluted his queen and knelt once more before marching smartly from the throne room, the doors to the antechamber once again opening of their own accord to release him from his audience. Even before he exited the chamber, the dark general couldn't keep the satisfied smile from his lips.

--------------------------------

Usagi and Naru walked along the street, idly chatting about nothing in particular as they made their way slowly toward Osa-P, Naru's mother's jewelry store. In no hurry, the girls flitted from storefront to storefront, window-shopping like professionals. School had been out for over an hour before they finally arrived at Osa-P, and the crowded jewelry store made them wish they'd made better time from Juuban Junior High.

"Wow..." exclaimed Naru, her shock obvious to Usagi. "I knew Momma was having a big sale, but I never expected this!" The blonde could only nod to her friend, the same astonishment covering her own face.

Pushing through the crowds, Naru led Usagi to the counter and cheerfully called out "Momma!" to the woman standing there trying to serve the mass of customers. The auburn-haired woman's eyes lit up at the sight of her daughter, and she quickly finished her current sale and made her way over to the two girls.

"Naru-chan!" she said, a bright smile coming to her face. "How was your day at school, honey?"

"It was just fine, Momma," replied the younger woman with reddish-brown hair. "We came by to see the sale. It looks like it's going really well!"

"Yes, dear," said Osaka Kiiroko, her smile increasing a bit more. "It is."

Turning to the blonde standing next to her daughter, Kiiroko asked, "And how are you, Usagi-chan?"

The blonde, ponytailed teenager smiled brightly, replying, "Very good, Osaka-obasan!"

Naru's mother smiled brighter still, and turning her attention back to both girls, she said, "Actually, since the sale is going so well, I think I can give you an extra special price on some of the jewelry, Usagi-chan."

Usagi's eyes lit up at the prospect of new jewelry, and Kiiroko reached inside the display case. After fumbling around for a moment, the elder Osaka withdrew a small black box saying, "I think you'll like this one, Usagi-chan."

Opening the box before the teenage girl's wide blue eyes, Kiiroko revealed a beautiful diamond pendant on a thin gold chain at which the two girls 'Oooh'ed.

"I thought you'd like it," said Kiiroko, the smile still on her face apparent in her tone. "Normally, this would sell for five hundred thousand yen..." Usagi's eyes widened at the figure: it was more money that she'd ever seen! "However," she continued, "It is currently on sale for one hundred thousand, and since you're a friend of the family, I'd be willing to give it to you for just thirty thousand yen!"

Usagi was about to ask her friend's mother to hold it for her until she could ask her parents, but the teenager suddenly found herself on the floor.

"I WANT IT!!" screamed the obtusely large woman who had pushed Usagi down, her eyes staring greedily at the pendant. "I'll pay the whole one hundred thousand!!"

A few tears leaked out of Usagi's eyes at being so rudely thrown to the floor, and she tried to call out to Naru and Kiiroko in a slightly tearful voice. "Naru! Osaka-obasan!"

However, the crush of people was too much, and after three people had already stepped on her, she finally crawled out of the store, crying.

After making it outside, Usagi ran toward home, tears running down her cheeks. 'It's not fair!' she thought, anger and sadness warring for dominance in her mind. 'That lady is so MEAN!!'

Suddenly, Usagi skidded to a halt, a flash of color in the window of a shop catching her eye. Looking over, she saw a large poster for a Sailor V video game in the window. Above, Usagi spied the name of the store: Crown Game Center. 'I wonder if Motoki is working today?' she thought automatically at seeing the name, but then put thoughts of cute boys with blonde hair out of her mind. Or, at least, as far from her mind as she could, and focused on the poster.

'Oh wow!' thought the blonde-haired girl, thinking back to Naru's and Umino's explanations about Sailor V. 'If she's so awesome that she caught a jewel thief then the game must be really good too!'

Looking at a nearby clock, she noted the time. 'Oh...it's already four forty five!' she thought, still distracted by the poster. 'I should be getting home, but I really REALLY wanna try that game!'

Raising a hand to her chin, Usagi tried to think of a way to decide what to do. "Oh!" she said out loud, and then continued in her mind, 'I know! If it's heads, I'll go in, and if it's tails, I'll go home.'

Without further thought, Usagi kicked her left shoe off and high into the air, eagerly anticipating the outcome. The teenage girl craned her neck to watch as the shoe flew over her head.

"Ouch," came a male voice from behind her, and she spun around to see a slender, tallish man with black hair and dark eyes wearing a green sport coat and black shirt. He was also holding a shoe and rubbing the top of his head. "That hurt, odongo atama."

The apology that had been on her lips died when he insulted her. 'Of all the nerve!' she thought indignantly, conveniently forgetting that it was her shoe that hit him even as she walked up and snatched it from his hand. Putting on her most irritated look, she replied, "You shouldn't insult people!"

"Hey," he shot back. "You shouldn't be hitting people in the head with shoes!"

Usagi blushed at that statement, but her irritation still didn't vanish. After a moment more of trying to stare the annoying boy down, she stuck out her tongue at him and walked into the arcade with a huff, completely forgetting that the shoe was supposed to tell her whether or not she should be going home.

--------------------------------

'Now that was strange...' thought Ranma as he watched the blonde-haired girl walk into a store. The guy she'd hit with her shoe hesitated for a moment, and then followed the girl with the strange hairstyle. 'Oh well.'

As it was almost five o'clock in the evening now, Ranma decided to put the strange incident out of his mind and continue walking. He still needed to find an apartment, and there didn't seem to be a decent one in this entire city that was up for rent. The pigtailed youth sighed; at least he hadn't been splashed all day.

"Oops," came a female voice from above. "I dropped my wash tub!" A reciprocating male voice replied, "Be more careful!"

Of course, neither noticed the somewhat disgruntled-looking redhead below, dripping soapy water. 'Great...' Ranma continued in her mind. 'Just great...'

The pigtailed girl's mood had been steadily deteriorating since leaving that small kissa near the Tokyo Tower, and this little incident took the cake. 'Oh well,' she decided as she started walking once again. 'I'll just get some hot water from the next yattai.'

That's when she saw it, and a smile blossomed on the redhead's face for the first time in hours. 'It' was a sign, an advertisement actually, for a newly built apartment building in the eastern portion of Juuban, away from the college. Since it was the first building she'd seen with vacancies since arriving in Tokyo, Ranma quickly noted the address and raced off at top speed, startling a few other pedestrians as she ran at speeds scarcely seen even at the Olympics.

It was a quick seven-minute run to the lobby, and there was a single man working the key in the door to the leasing office. Ranma's heart sank as she realized what was happening: it seemed that they were just locking up, leaving for the day.

"Wait!" she shouted at the suit-clad man, and he spun around at the voice, startled. The pigtailed negawarrior ran up to him as she unconsciously turned on the 'cute innocent girl' look. "Please tell me you can help me!"

"Umm...umm...umm..." the man stammered.

"You're not closing for the day, are you?" the former martial artist turned cute negawarrior continued. The man nodded mutely, and Ranma didn't even realize that she had a pout on her face. "But can't you see me before you go?"

The man's eyes got wide and there was a bit of sweat forming on his brow at Ranma's proximity and appearance. Finally, the man succumbed and nodded dumbly, opening the door for the cute girl. Ranma's whole face lit up when he acquiesced, and she walked into the darkened office with a bright smile.

The man, who now introduced himself as the property manager, Umishi Ichiro, led Ranma back to his office, and by the time he was seated across from the young girl, he seemed much more composed and professional, once again in his element.

"So, young lady," he began in a stronger, more business-like voice. "What can I do for you?"

"Well," replied Ranma, still unknowingly throwing off some, though many fewer, 'cute rays', "I've been through Shinjuku and most of Minato looking for an apartment I can rent, but I haven't found any vacancies anywhere! Then I saw your advertisement, so I came right over."

"I see," replied Ichiro. "So you wish to inquire about renting here? Okay, is it just you, or will you have room mates?"

Ranma was about to answer that it would just be her and one other when she suddenly thought about something. 'I don't really want to explain my curse,' she thought with a little bitterness, 'but if I don't say something then I'll have to be a girl when ever I'm here!' She was at the edge of despair when an idea struck her.

"There are two others, Umishi-san," Ranma said, her smile coming back as though it had never left. "My brother and our guardian."

The older man nodded slowly, jotting down some notes. "Alright," he replied. "So you will need a two or three bedroom if you want any kind of privacy." Looking up briefly to see her affirming nod, he continued, "What kind of price range were you looking at?"

Again, Ranma's face scrunched, unknown to the girl herself, into a very cute 'deep thought' expression, but after a moment she came up blank. "Honestly, Umishi-san, I have no frame of reference."

Umishi nodded one more time and said, "That's alright; you're young yet. I have four apartments that meet your specifications: two two bedrooms and two three bedrooms. Would you like to take a look at them?"

Ranma nodded concisely, and Umishi ushered her out of the office and down a hall. As they walked, Umishi said, "Oh, I'm sorry, miss. I never asked your name."

"Oh," replied Ranma absently. "My name is Saotome Ran...ko."

'Good save!' Ranma congratulated herself. 'Ranko...just so long as I write it 'wild child', I'll be alright with that.'

Umishi obviously didn't notice the pigtailed youth's slight fumble, and he continued. "Well, I'm pleased to meet you, Saotome-san."

The two arrived at an elevator labeled 'Tenants,' and Umishi pressed the call button. A scant few seconds later, the doors slid silently open, and Umishi gestured for Ranma to precede him. Once they were in the elevator, the property manager pressed the button for the eleventh floor, and they were off.

Ranma briefly looked at the clock in the elevator. 'Five forty five. I hope this place is good enough; I really wouldn't mind sleeping under a roof for once.'

--------------------------------

Osaka Naru was unhappy. Usagi hadn't even said good-bye when she left, and now, the customers at Osa-P were getting more and more violent. It was quite disturbing to see several women actually fighting over this ring or that bracelet, scary even. Finally, she left the store to her mother and went to find a snack since dinner would not come for some time.

Walking the short distance to the Crown Game Center, or more precisely, the Parlor above, Naru continued to think about her mother. 'Why are all those ladies getting so riled up,' she thought with a little distress. 'I know it's a big sale, but that was ridiculous!'

As she entered the Game Center, Naru briefly looked around for Motoki, but failing to see her favorite arcade employee, she headed up the stairs to the restaurant.

When she reached the top of the stairs, a cheerful voice rang out, "Welcome! Come on in!"

Turning to the voice, Naru saw one of her older friends, Furuhata Unazuki, Motoki's younger sister. "Hi Unazuki!" she called back.

"Hi Naru," the slightly older redhead replied. "Aren't you usually at home eating dinner around now?"

"Yeah," said Naru, her face falling ever so slightly. "But Momma is having a big sale, so she won't be able to close the store before dinner."

"Oh," Unazuki replied, her tone sounding very understanding. "Then I guess I should give you a table, then."

Naru smiled, and the older girl led her to a table near the door to the kitchen. "So," asked the ponytailed redhead, "what can I get for you?"

"Hmm," thought Naru aloud. "I think...I'll just have a fruit salad and a chocolate milkshake."

Unazuki looked a little puzzled at her younger friend and asked, "Are you sure that'll be enough? I mean, that's not much to have for dinner."

"Oh, this isn't dinner," replied Naru with a smile. "It's just a snack to tie me over until Momma can get off work."

Winking at her, the green-eyed girl cheerfully answered, "Gotcha. I'll be back in a few!"

With that, Unazuki walked into the kitchen, and Naru returned to her somber musings, her eyes staring sightlessly out of the window next to her table. An indeterminate amount of time later, a hand waving in her face returned Naru to the real world.

"Huh?" she asked intelligently of Unazuki, who was sitting across from her in the booth.

"Wow," the ponytailed girl said. "You were really spaced there. You okay, Naru-chan?"

"Yeah," Naru replied, just now realizing that her fruit salad and milkshake were sitting in front of her. "It's just that the customers at Momma's store were getting really worked up over the sale. I honestly saw three or four women almost FIGHTING over some of the jewelry!"

Unazuki nodded as she sipped her own vanilla shake through a straw. "I see," she said, and then her face brightened. "But hey, I guess that means that the sale is a big success, then!"

"I suppose so…" Naru trailed off as she almost lost herself once more to her heavier thoughts.

"Hey!" called the older redhead, her voice louder than normal. "Don't go getting all depressed on me now. Let's just talk about something else, Naru-chan. For instance, there was this really cute guy in here earlier.…"

Naru smiled as Unazuki chattered about this and that, and slowly, the foreboding feeling that had been rolling icily in her gut since she left the store receded. She ate and chatted with her friend for the better part of an hour before deciding that she needed to go back to the store for her mother.

When the younger red-haired girl said that she had to leave, Unazuki nodded and snagged their glasses and the bowl from the table. "Tell you what," she said in her ever-cheerful voice. "I'll let this one go on the house! You have a good night, Naru-chan."

As she left the Crown Center, Naru had a big smile on her face, but as soon as she was in sight of Osa-P, the icy feeling returned full force. 'I don't think I want to go back there...' the redhead thought as she felt a chill down her spine.

After nearly a minute of consideration, a look at a nearby clock decided the teenager. 'It's already seven forty five,' she thought in some consternation. 'Momma should have closed the store almost an hour ago. Finally, Naru continued on her path back to Osa-P, but the moment she opened the door to the store, she wished she had stayed at the Parlor.

Everywhere in the store, customers were lying unconscious, or at least, Naru hoped that they were only unconscious. However, even that sight paled in comparison with the sight of her own mother, the cruel smile stretching the woman's face in ways that were impossible for a human. Involuntarily, Naru gasped.

"Well hello, Naru-chan," the creature that was supposedly Naru's mother said in a voice like steel sliding over a gravestone. "You're just in time to join the fun!"

--------------------------------

It had taken an hour to see the four possible apartments, and Ranma had already decided which one she liked best. Umishi had led the teenaged redhead back to his office, and now he was telling her the true bottom line for each one.

"The price on the two furnished apartments will be significantly higher than the other two," Umishi was saying. "But the furnished ones will probably save you money in the end since you won't have to buy any furniture."

"Actually, Umishi-san," replied Ranma. "I really liked that two bedroom on the west side of the building."

"The unfurnished one?" asked the man in the suit, though his tone made the question sound rhetorical. "Alright, then. Let me look up the pricing."

Umishi turned to his computer and quickly typed up the reference number of the suite in question, Ranma looking over his shoulder. When the datasheet came up, the redhead's eyes bulged. 'Four hundred and eighty thousand yen a month!' she thought in both awe and depression. 'How on earth can I afford that?!'

"Ah," Umishi said, oblivious to Ranma's thoughts. "Here it is. The normal, monthly rent is four hundred and eighty thousand, but with the current special, we've dropped it to four hundred. Also, if you're willing to sign a year lease, we're willing to reduce it further. With the lease, the rent will only be three hundred and fifty thousand a month."

Turning back, Umishi finally saw the despair that was plainly written on Ranma's face, and his sympathy for her situation was obvious. "We may be able to work with you on payments. How much do you have?"

At that simple question, Ranma blinked. "Actually," she said after a moment's thought. "I have no idea. I forgot to check, and now the banks are all closed."

"Hmm," replied the black-haired man, his hand reaching for his chin as he thought. "Do you have a debit card?"

Nodding quickly, Ranma pulled the debit card Nephrite had given her from her pocket. Seeing this, Umishi spoke again. "Usually, banks have a number to call so that you can check your balance and what not after hours. It's normally on the back of the card."

Flipping the card over, Ranma gave it a quick scan. Sure enough, there was a phone number labeled 'automated support' printed on the back. "May I use your phone?"

Nodding, Umishi turned his phone toward the cute red head, briefly mentioning that she had to dial nine to get an outside line.

Ranma quickly called the number indicated on the card, and when the responding machine asked for her account number, she punched in the number on the front. Then it asked for her PIN, and the recording had to repeat the request twice before the teenage girl could fish the scrap of paper out of her pocket. Finally, the machine droned off the balance in the account.

The handset dropped from Ranma's now nerveless hand and clattered to the floor as the girl's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and her mouth fell open. Umishi became alarmed at this action, and he said, "Ranko-san? Are you alright?"

Shaking her head, Ranma blinked a couple of times and replied, "Hai, Umishi-san. I was just surprised, that's all."

Before he could speak further, Ranma continued, "I think I'll sign that year's contract and pay the full amount up front."

Now it was Ichiro's turn to goggle. "Are you certain, Saotome-san?" he asked, his tone filled with surprise. "That would be four million five hundred and fifty thousand yen including security deposit."

While the figure was certainly more money than Ranma had ever seen in her life, the recording from the bank had named a much higher figure. "Well, I think I can afford it," she replied in a quiet, still-stunned voice.

--------------------------------

After spending all of her money playing the Sailor V game and then whining about her lack of ice cream money to Motoki until the college student gave her a chocolate sundae on the house, Usagi finally left the Crown Game Center. As she walked out, she looked at the clock above the doors, and the ponytailed girl's walk immediately became a sprint. 'Seven fifteen!' she thought as she blazed homeward. 'Mom's gonna kill me!'

Making record time to her house, Usagi rushed through the front door and collided with her mother, both Tsukinos falling to the ground.

"Owww..." moaned Usagi as she pushed herself back to a standing position, but she quickly cringed at her mother's expression. In a weak voice she said, "Hi Mom.…"

"Hello, Usagi-chan," replied Ikuko in a stern voice, her arms crossed beneath her breasts and a very cross expression on her face. "Where have you been?"

"Umm," Usagi said, looking away from her mother's face. "I kind of lost track of time at the arcade, and..."

As her mother launched into a tirade about worrying her parents, Usagi kept her eyes trained on the toes of her shoes, cringing more with each angry word but tuning their meaning out. This was a regular lecture, and Usagi knew by heart when to nod or say "yes Ma'am."

Finally, Ikuko finished tearing into her daughter, and even as Usagi looked up at the blue-haired woman with tears in her eyes, mother embraced daughter. "Even so, Usagi-chan, I'm glad you're home, safe and sound," the Tsukino matriarch finished as Usagi tried in vain to breath during the crushing hug.

Ikuko sighed. "Well then," the older Tsukino woman said, her tone actually cheerful. "Why don't we go eat dinner then?"

As her mother turned away, Usagi could only blink before following, for once silent.

Dinner was a relatively quiet affair with only a few questions about her day, and since her mother had already berated her for coming home late, her father said nothing about the incident. Finally, as dinner drew to a close, Usagi said, "I'm really tired tonight. I think I'll go to bed early."

Kenji only smiled at his daughter as she moved to leave the table. "Good night, dear," he said in a pleasant voice, this mirrored by her mother.

"Gosh," said Shingo in an insulting tone. "You sleep more than anyone I've every met!"

"Shut up you little brat," replied Usagi in a haughty voice, lifting her head in a snobbish fashion. "I've had a long day."

Her little brother stuck out his tongue at her, but she was only peripherally aware of the action and didn't retaliate. Usagi slowly made her way up the stairs, the long day out finally catching up with her, and when she entered her room, she immediately fell on the bed without even undressing.

--------------------------------

A dark shape crouched among the stuffed animals at the foot of Usagi's bed. The shape tensed as the door opened but quickly relaxed as it saw its target enter the room, it's bristling fur smoothing quickly. The girl it had been following all day made her way slowly across the floor, eyelids drooping and obvious fatigue in her step. Without even attempting to undress, the blue-eyed girl with the strange hairstyle simply fell facedown on her bed.

The shape's eyes narrowed as it watched the girl, looking for signs of injury, but when the girl began to quietly snore, a small sigh emitted from the pile of fuzzy toys. After watching for a few more seconds, the shape emerged and pounced.

"Wake up, young one," came the obviously female voice of the small black cat as she leapt onto Usagi's back, careful not to use her claws. "You must wake up, Usagi. There is evil about tonight."

Still, the blonde slept on, and the black cat began to form a sweat drop, frustration, while hard to read on a cat, showing easily on her face. She tried three more times before using her claws, shouting as loud as she could without alerting the rest of the house, but in the end, the claws did the trick.

"Yeow!" cried Usagi as she jumped, inadvertently throwing the slight weight that had been perched on her back across the room. Rubbing her back, the teen whined, "That hurt."

A couple of tears leaked from her eyes as the cat recovered, and a moment later, it seemed that the girl had noticed the animal. "Ohhhh," she said. "You're that little cat I saved with the crescent-shaped bald spot."

Almost growling, the cat replied, "It's not a bald spot! How rude!"

Usagi's eyes widened to the size of serving platters as the cat spoke, and Luna could only sigh as the girl stammered, "T—t—tal—talking c—c—c—CAT!"

That last was delivered in a yell that could wake the dead, and she leaped across her bed...falling off the other side to lie sprawling on the floor. Luna quickly attempted damage control. "Usagi," she said in a calm, kind voice. "Don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Ohhhh," Usagi replied, and Luna finally thought that the girl understood. "I'm dreaming, right?"

Wham!

As Luna managed to recover from her face fault, she sweatdropped. "No, Usagi," she replied in a patient voice. "You are not dreaming. I've come here to give you something and then advise you in its use."

Before allowing the girl to say more, the black cat jumped into the air and performed a quite impressive double-flip maneuver. At the apex of the spin, a circular brooch fell from her subspace pocket onto the bed, and when she landed, she watched Usagi's forehead.

'Ah HA!' Luna thought triumphantly as a crescent moon glowed brightly on Usagi's forehead in response to her production of the brooch. 'I WAS right!'

"My name is Luna," began the cat, "and you are destined to be Sailor Moon, the Senshi of the Moon!" Even as she said it, something felt off about referring to a Senshi of the Moon, but Luna shrugged it off. Her memories were quite jumbled since she awoke, but the small cat was sure that she would figure it out eventually.

"What's a Senshi?" asked the ponytailed girl, though it was obvious to Luna that Usagi had heard the capital 'S' in its pronunciation. Briefly running through what she remembered, Luna decided that it would be easier to simply show Usagi rather than try to explain.

"Just pick up that brooch and say, 'Moon Prism Power, Make Up'," Luna said in reply. "You'll understand then."

Nodding dubiously, the blonde complied with the cat's request.

--------------------------------

Usagi picked up the small brooch that the cat, Luna, had given her. Something tickled her mind, like a memory of a dream, as she fingered the circular item, but the teenager put the feeling aside for later.

"Okay," she said, "here goes. Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

For the briefest of instants, nothing happened, but suddenly, in a flash of light too bright for eyes accustomed to darkness, Usagi felt power. And the oddest sensation of her clothing disintegrating. Spinning involuntarily with the energy engulfing her, new clothing formed around the girl, and after about five seconds, Usagi found herself wearing a white body suit with a very short blue skirt, her feet encased in knee-high red boots and elbow-length white gloves trimmed in red appeared on her hands. A red bow adorned her chest to be complimented by a ribbon of the same color tied at the back of her skirt, and several pieces of jewelry, including ear rings, a choker sporting a crescent moon, and red hair ornaments on her odongo-like buns, rounded out the ensemble.

Wide eyed and blinking, Usagi stared at herself in the mirror, a gasp coming quietly from her mouth as she examined her new appearance. As she continued to stare, Luna spoke. "Sailor Moon," she said urgently. "There have been many strange events in Tokyo recently! The enemy has arrived! Reach out with your senses and feel the dark emanations of the enemy!"

Without really understanding what she was doing, Usagi did as Luna asked, and her face became a mask of shock. 'Please,' came Naru's voice inside the blonde superhero's mind. 'Help me...help my mother...help us.'

"Oh no," Usagi said under her breath. "Naru-chan."

Without further thought, Sailor Moon leapt from her window and raced toward Osa-P, a small black cat trailing her.

--------------------------------

Ranma dropped her pack in the room she'd decided to claim in the two-bedroom apartment she'd rented, a sigh escaping her lips. It wasn't the largest apartment on earth, but it would certainly do. The front door opened into a medium-sized living area, including a tiled area for shoes at the front door, with an attached kitchenette, and a short hallway opposite the front door that allowed access to the two bedrooms and the single bath with a western-style shower stall. All in all, it was probably the nicest place that Ranma had lived since starting her training journey with her father.

'Otousan...' Ranma thought briefly before shaking her head. 'Now is not the time to get depressed,' she continued in her mind, and the pigtailed negawarrior's stomach seconded that with a loud grumble. 'I guess I should get something to eat.'

As she walked toward the bathroom to get some hot water, Ranma decided to use some of the constructs that Nephrite had recently taught her to examine the area. Drawing a tiny amount of negaforce from the small silver mirror she now kept on her person, Ranma formed the constructs necessary to sense her surroundings and, combining the negaforce with ki from her reserves, fueled them with annihilation energy.

'Hmmm,' she thought as she splashed her face with hot water. 'Most everyone in the building is eating.'

The thought brought another rumble to his stomach, and he decided not to wait any longer. 'There isn't any food here, so I guess I'm going out for dinner.'

Pausing briefly to snag the apartment key from his pack, Ranma left his new home in search of dinner, still scanning the evening with his construct-enhanced senses.

Without knowing where any particular restaurants were located, the pigtailed boy simply wandered back toward the commercial area where he'd found the advertisement for his new apartment. 'There's bound to be some...' he thought, but he trailed off as something struck him like a two-by-four between the eyes. 'Something is using a lot of negaforce around here.'

Quickly considering his stomach versus the feel of negaforce, Ranma decided that food could wait, and the newest negawarrior began to follow his senses to the source, unconsciously masking his presence with an instinctual construct.

--------------------------------

Sailor Moon raced for Osa-P, Luna close at her heels, and as she neared the glass entryway to the jewelry store, she gasped. It wasn't from the running; Usagi had never had an easier time running. No, it was from the sight within the shop. Naru hung from the hand of a monster vaguely resembling the dark-red-haired girl's mother, the clawed appendage slowly choking the life from her. The sight was enough to push the odangoed superhero forward at a speed even she didn't think possible, and as she burst through the entryway amid shattering glass, she called out, "For love and justice, I'm the sailor suit beautiful girl fighter! Sailor Moon!"

In her mind, Usagi blinked. 'Where on earth did that come from?' she questioned herself silently even as the creature turned to face her, its weakly writhing victim forgotten in its hand.

"I'm sure you're very pretty," replied the monster with a horrible, cruel sneer. "But you're no fighter."

With that, the monster threw Naru away like the nearly unconscious girl was a piece of trash, but her friend's agonized cry as she clipped one of the display cases was not lost on Moon. Sparing a glance at Naru's fallen form, the blonde Senshi could see that Naru's leg was bent at an odd angle where there should be no joint, and she tried desperately to keep her dinner in her stomach at the sight. By its next words, her green complexion was obviously not lost on the monster.

"Ha!" the beast called out mockingly. "If you're supposed to be a fighter, then why does a little injury like that even faze you? You couldn't last through even a light torture session, even if you were only watching!"

Still a bit green, Sailor Moon turned back to the monster, and a fire lit in the blonde's eyes. Clenching her teeth hard, Moon rushed forward and delivered a hard slap to the creature's face followed by a kick to its midsection. 'Alright, Usagi!' she crowed in her mind. 'That'll teach that stupid monster!'

A flash of brightness and pain across her face as the monster delivered a vicious backhanded slap was quite a shock to Tokyo's newest devil hunter, and the resulting flight into a concrete pillar across the store did nothing to reassure her. The fact that she didn't seem to have more than bruises while the column was badly cracked didn't enter the blonde Senshi's mind as she started to cry, bawling her eyes out in front of the enemy.

"Maybe there is something to you after all, girl," said the monster with a small amount of grudging respect as it held its midsection, but that respect vanished a moment later. "That little love tap was all it took to take you down!?! You are absolutely pathetic, little bitch!"

Regardless of the monster, Usagi could do nothing but sob. 'That really HURT!' she thought. 'Why should I be a superhero?'

"Damn," the being that looked vaguely like Naru's mother spat. "You aren't even worth my time." Then, looking around at all of the fallen women, it continued in a strong, loud tone. "Arise, my servants! Arise and destroy that pretender!"

Moon's crying finally began to abate as the women lying scattered about the tile floor began to stir. One by one, the women rose from their prone postures into trance-like zombie-dom, and the newest superhero cowered next to the column, petrified.

--------------------------------

Luna was pleased with her charge's actions at first, but her face began to sink as first Sailor Moon was backhanded into a pillar, and then more as she watched the Senshi of the Moon start to cry. Embarrassing was the only word to describe her feelings on the matter, but when the youma began to raise and control its victims, the black cat put her feelings aside. Rushing up to Sailor Moon's side, she spoke urgently with the Senshi.

"Sailor Moon!" cried Luna, her voice a mixture of concern and embarrassment. "You must fight it! The youma cannot be allowed to succeed!"

Moon broke off her sobbing fit and looked at the small black cat. "What are you talking about, Luna? I can't even hurt it, and I'm so s—s—sca—SCARED!!"

Almost rolling her eyes, but fortunately keeping herself from the derisive action, Luna replied, "Do you really think that your improved strength and speed is all you have? You must fight them before they kill you! When the time is right, use your 'Moon Tiara Action' attack, and destroy the youma!"

Hesitantly nodding, Moon stood and faced the onrushing crowd of zombified women, and Luna felt some small amount of renewed confidence in her young charge.

--------------------------------

Ranma watched the blonde girl in the pervert's wet dream outfit run into what looked like a jewelry store, careful not to get too close. As he crept closer, the former martial artist heard the girl yell, "For love and justice, I'm the sailor suit beautiful girl fighter! Sailor Moon!"

The pigtailed negawarrior almost couldn't keep his laughter contained. 'Who does she think she's kidding?' he thought contemptuously. 'That has to be the stupidest name I've ever heard anyone ever use. And that outfit! Is she TRYING to get raped or something?"

Ranma's mental beration of the girl ground to a halt as the blonde superhero leapt forward and dealt a hard slap to the negaforce-wielding woman followed by a hard kick to her abdomen. 'If this keeps up,' thought Ranma in a more considering tone, 'then I might have to help that negawarrior, or what ever she is, out.'

All his thoughts of helping the strange, daemonic-looking woman died as she backhanded the odangoed idiot into a concrete pillar. 'Looks like the girl is in over her head,' he thought. 'I guess I don't need to interfere…at least until someone looks like they'll get killed.'

As a small, dark shape ran up to the hapless superhero, Ranma saw something out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see what it was. A man wearing a tuxedo was leaping from rooftop to rooftop toward the jewelry store, and the former martial artist couldn't help but gape. A tuxedo was hardly the right outfit to use for roof hopping, and as the masked man approached the jewelry store, Ranma began to pay closer attention to the battle within.

--------------------------------

Sailor Moon only barely managed to keep herself from dropping to the ground and bawling her eyes out as the women approached, but she knew instinctually that she needed to fight, or Tsukino Usagi would never be heard from again. Glancing about, Moon noticed her fallen friend, still lying on the tiled floor, unconscious. For that, the first Senshi was glad. She didn't want Naru to watch her mother get killed—

At that thought, Usagi gasped. Since when did she think like that?! Some small part of her rebelled at the thought that she could so callously disregard a woman's life, but the vast majority of the new superhero almost shrugged. After all, this was war, and in war sometimes people got hurt...or even killed.

'NO!!!!' Usagi rebelled from the foreign thoughts. 'No one has to die here!'

Finally, after shaking herself from the internal debate, Moon attacked. It wasn't the attack of a hesitant, scared schoolgirl; it was the attack of a warrior, born and bred. She laid into the opposing force with a vengeance, her fists and feet flying. However, each blow was only enough to render that person to full unconsciousness; it was never enough to permanently damage or kill. As the women fell, Sailor Moon gained a satisfied smirk, and this she turned on the youma.

"What the fuck!" cried the monster in disbelief. "How could you go from sobbing baby to this so quickly?! I'll take care of you myself."

Seeming to manipulate the attacking humans as though they were a part of her body, the youma leapt at Sailor Moon as the attackers parted. The superhero stared, wide eyed, at the oncoming monster, but the attack so fully anticipated by the blonde Senshi never came. A rose, pure red and crimson as blood, struck the youma's shoulder, and the female creature went down hard.

"Sailor Moon!" cried a voice from behind, and Usagi whirled to see a masked man in a tuxedo addressing her from a small ledge near the ceiling. "You must never forget that you fight for love and justice! Defeat the youma and all can return to normal!"

With that, Moon spun once more to the youma, and as the creature began to rise from its prone position, she felt it. It was time to use her attack, time to destroy this abomination, this antipode of life.

Moving on pure instinct, Sailor Moon lifted her hand and grasped the jewel at the center of her tiara. "Moon," she began as the jewel glowed and her tiara lifted from her brow. "Tiara." The partial circlet transformed into a glowing disk of pure light, floating above Moon's hand, and the new superhero drew it back for a throw.

"Action!" the Senshi of the Moon finished, and she let the disk fly forth. The youma's eyes widened as the disk of bright energy sailed toward her on a curved trajectory, and she could only scream once as it struck, immediately reducing her to dust.

"Great work, Sailor Moon," the masked man in the tuxedo commented as the creature fell away. "I'll remember what happened tonight!"

With that, Usagi watched as the absolute hunk in the tuxedo leapt out of the window and ran into the distance across the rooftops, her eyes becoming twin pink hearts at the sight.

--------------------------------

Ranma watched in horrified fascination as the girl's attack killed the female negawarrior, or what ever she was. Of course, his senses were enhanced, and so he realized what the tiara had done.

First, it used some sort of mana-based spell to nullify the woman's shield construct, but Ranma could tell that that particular portion of the spell could only work on a weakened shield. After that, the mana in the spell had interacted with the negaforce in the woman's body, becoming a conduit for all the lifeforce within the immediate surroundings. Considering the amount of negaforce contained in the woman, Ranma was almost green as he watched the ensuing flood of planetary ki flow into the woman, but the explosion Ranma had expected never came. Instead, the woman fell to dust, and Ranma perceived the final part of the mana spell: it contained the explosive reaction of lifeforce and negaforce to a molecular level, so reducing the target to dust without causing massive collateral damage.

The teenaged negawarrior shuddered at the attack spell, his blood chilling with the thought of anyone willing to use such a thing against a living being. As he turned away from the scene of carnage, he briefly noted that the masked man that had helped the strange girl was leaping away across the rooftops.

'Oh well,' Ranma thought as he walked away. 'I guess that woman was doing wrong...but did her actions deserve a death sentence? And one so painful….'

--------------------------------

Luna was beaming when the possessed women fell once more to the ground, Moon's tiara having killed the youma. After it returned to her brow, Luna rushed forward to congratulate her charge, but the girl paid her no mind, speeding her way to the girl who had fallen early in the battle.

As she reached the unconscious girl's side, Moon spoke. "Luna, can you tell if she will be alright?"

Coming up short and feeling shame at having no concern for this poor girl, Luna briefly used a status spell to scan the fallen redhead. "Sailor Moon," she replied after a moment. "She will be alright if she gets medical treatment soon. Her injuries are a broken leg, three broken ribs, and partial asphyxiation, but she seems to be well enough to survive."

Seeing a few tears escape Moon's eyes as she nodded, Luna decided not to press the issue of crying in the face of the enemy with her new charge. It seemed that the girl had had enough for one night.

Still musing, Luna almost missed the Moon Senshi standing and walking to the counter. "What are you doing, Sailor Moon?" she asked, perplexed.

"I'm calling the police," the blonde Senshi replied. "Naru and the others need medical help, and the authorities will know what to do."

Luna swelled with pride at her charge's responsible behavior, but before the new superhero could dial, Luna said, "Sailor Moon, we shouldn't be here when the police arrive. You must keep your identity a secret or the enemy will try to attack your family."

"You're right..." replied Sailor Moon. "I guess I'll just have to settle for visiting Naru tomorrow."

With that, the Senshi of the Moon dialed for the police and told them the situation, minus the youma. After they told her to stay on the line until an officer arrived, Moon hung up the phone. "Luna," she said in a tired voice. "Let's go home."

With that, Sailor Moon and her faithful advisor Luna walked away from Osa-P, sirens clearly coming nearer.

--------------------------------

Ranma practically collapsed into the booth the cute, red-haired waitress led him to, his mind reeling with the brutality of Sailor Moon's final attack. 'Well,' he supposed. 'I guess it wouldn't look so brutal if I hadn't watched it with my enhanced senses. It would have simply looked like that woman fell to dust after screaming, but watching it like I did was....'

The young man's dark musings continued until he perceived a hand waving in front of his face. Startled, he looked up at the girl who'd led him to the table.

"Are you alright?" she asked hesitantly.

Ranma took a moment to compose himself before answering. "Yeah," he finally said, though certain that the slight green pallor of his face had not gone away. "I'll be fine."

"Seriously," replied the waitress. "You look awful. Would you like to talk about it?"

The pigtailed negawarrior considered the question. Most assuredly he would like to discuss the matter, but he didn't think the girl would understand. Finally, Ranma answered, "No…I think it would be better if I just got my mind on something else." Managing to affix a smile on his face, he introduced himself. "Name's Ranma."

The red-haired waitress smiled at him and extended a hand in greeting, seemingly content with her customer's newly happy demeanor. "I'm Unazuki," she smiled back, and they shook quickly.

"Well, Ranma," Unazuki continued. "What can I get you tonight?"

Glancing quickly at the menu, Ranma replied, "How 'bout a triple cheese burger plate?"

Smiling, the green-eyed waitress said, "Coming right up! Do you want something to drink?"

"A chocolate shake."

"Alright," Unazuki said as she walked away, and Ranma returned to his musing.

An indeterminate amount of time later, the pigtailed man was once more returned to the real world by a hand flashing across his eyes.

"Hey!" called an annoyed Unazuki. "This is the second time tonight I've had to revive someone and your second time as well! Is there something going on out there that I don't know about?"

Shaken, Ranma hesitantly replied, "N—no. Nothing that I can think of."

Her smile brightened the booth, and Ranma finally noticed that his dinner and shake, along with a vanilla shake for the girl sitting opposite him, sat on the table. Digging in with a gusto, Ranma began to talk to his booth-mate. By the end of the night, the most recent addition to the Dark Kingdom's negawarrior roster had made a fast friend in the cute, red-ponytailed waitress.

--------------------------------

Usagi walked home slowly, not yet having released the magic that had transformed her into Sailor Moon. Behind her, Luna chattered unintelligibly to the blonde superhero. The newest Senshi's mind was entirely focused on the battle and the ensuing condition of Naru, her heart heavy with worry for her friend.

During the fight, it seemed that she could ignore all her injuries, but slamming into a concrete pillar with the force of a speeding train had hurt her even through her Senshi armor, though she hadn't felt it at the time due to the adrenaline. As she slowly moved from worry about Naru to concern for her own wounds, she felt where the creature had cracked her ribs with that terrifyingly powerful backhand.

The pain was intense, and Usagi felt her eyes begin to tear up as she realized just how severe the damage was. 'How did I fight like this?' she asked herself as the pain of cracked ribs, intensified by the healing nature of her fuku, began to seep into her brain in earnest. 'This really, REALLY hurts."

The cuts and bruises across the rest of her body paled in comparison to the feeling of her ribs mending themselves as she walked, and Moon felt herself slump against a lamp post, the latest of Luna's words finally seeping into her conscious mind.

"Sailor Moon!" she said with great concern. "Are you alright?"

Usagi assessed her condition dispassionately, entirely the soldier that her transformation had changed her into. "I'll be fine, Luna," she answered in a voice devoid of emotion. "I have a few cracked ribs and some bruising, but it it'll be healed by morning."

Moon could almost feel the black cat's hesitation while it processed that information, and her voice continued as a whisper. "Alright, Sailor Moon," she said in a voice almost overwhelmed with emotion. "We need to get you home so that you can rest."

Nodding absently, Moon continued on her trek toward bed.

--------------------------------

Ranma lay on his bedroll, his mind wandering. Dinner had been good, and the company had been better. As his mind drifted toward Unazuki, warm feelings encompassed his mind. 'She's even in the same year as me...at least when I start school...' he thought in his half dreaming state.

After nearly half an hour of musing, something occurred to Ranma. 'Awww, crap. I never signaled Nephrite!"

In his sleep-fogged brain, Ranma formed the beacon construct and briefly powered it, sending a call out to Nephrite including location and, unbeknownst to him, his status and current condition.

'Good enough,' Ranma thought as he drifted off to sleep. 'Good enough.'

--------------------------------

Luna watched as her new charge dropped onto her bed, still transformed for healing purposes. Sailor Moon had done well tonight; at least, that was Luna's opinion on the whole matter. Despite the crying fit, Usagi had performed admirably and destroyed a youma. Certainly, they had caused a major setback to the plans of the enemy.

"Sailor Moon," she said to the prone form on the bed. "You did very well tonight."

An indeterminate response came from the figure sprawled on top of the sheets, and Luna decided to continue. "I know that the youma will become stronger, but I also remember that we will get some help. You aren't the only Sailor Senshi, Sailor Moon."

This time there was no response, and Luna began to hear the familiar sound of quiet snoring coming from the bed, 'Alright,' she thought patiently, almost indulgently. 'You've had a long night, Usagi, and you should rest. However," she continued, a harder tone touching the black cat's thoughts. 'This was only the opening battle. Be ready for things to get harder, Sailor Moon. Much harder.'

--------------------------------

Author's Notes:

Wow. At fifteen thousand words, this is the longest posting I've ever written, and it is part one of (currently) seven for the current chapter! Maybe I should explain: this chapter was originally slated to have three parts, but when I got to about page seventeen of this part, I decided that I needed to re-evaluate my partitioning. I mean, this was originally only one third of the first part of chapter three!! Since then, I've changed the partitioning to include a full seven parts. Please note, this fic is slated to have eight chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue. This will not change, but the number of parts per chapter has changed and may yet again. Be forewarned that the projected length of this fic continues to grow even as I write it...

Okay, I'm certain I've gotten a few people mad with my callous depiction of Moon's thoughts during the battle. Here's my explanation: the Senshi are, by definition (or translation), soldiers, and their transformed minds would perceive situations as soldiers. The canon Sailor Moon series did this with the Outers, but the inners thought more like idealistic little girls than the battle-hardened warriors they were supposed to be. In this fic I will remedy this, but that doesn't mean that any of the Senshi have to like it...

Another possible point of contention will be Ranma's description of the Moon Tiara Action attack. This is not to say that Ranma truly understands how the attack works, but that his construct-enhanced senses can perceive the effects of mana, lifeforce, and negaforce. In this case, his explanation is accurate in that he saw the mana cause certain effects on the lifeforce and negaforce in the area and made the right deductions.

I now have two new pre-readers in addition to Malichite helping me with the fic now: DarkJackel and Pale Wolf. Thanks guys, I appreciate all the support and commentary.

In all my research on the series, I couldn't find Naru's mother's name, so I named her Kiiroko. I'm not sure why I chose 'brown girl' as her name, but there you have it. Umishi Ichiro is a completely original character, and once again, I'm not certain why Ranma's apartment manager would be named 'first son of the dead sea'. I did a fair amount of research to write this chapter, including looking up maps of Tokyo so that I knew the various spatial relationships between the wards and areas and looking up prices on apartments in the Tokyo area. Scary part is, the pricing in this part is pretty accurate, and the dollar has fallen in comparison to the yen so much that a yen is almost worth a penny. That means that in the current economy, a good, unfurnished two-bedroom in Tokyo would cost $4000 a month!

This is probably indicative of the chapter length from now on, so my update time may be impaired. Please forgive me for the time between chapters; between work and school I'm amazed that I have any time at all to write. Later all.


	10. Chapter 3 E2: Moonlit Struggles

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

And now, for another installment of Shakespeare for the Fanfic Disclaimer!

Double double attorney trouble,

Authors burn and characters bubble!

Love of doctor, Guardian's grief,

Old Ghoul's wrinkle, sword and sheath,

Of the rabid Martial-Arts Mother,

Root of Honor, find in each other!

Bearer of black o'erwhelmed hue,

Flame of Red, Ice of Blue,

Frozen in yon moon's eclipse,

Ice Queen's heart, Koucho's snips,

Challenge of boy deprived girl,

Wrong delivered, in a whirl

Make the Story thick and swirled,

Then therefore add a pervert sick,

For the ingredients of my Fic!

Thank you.

Note: the author apologizes for this butchering of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I

Chapter Three: Dreaming in Moonlight

Episode Two: Moonlit Struggles

----------------------------------

Nephrite walked through the streets of Dark Moon, the current capital of the Dark Kingdom, with a somber but satisfied expression on his face. On the positive side of matters, the Queen had allowed him to continue training Ranma, but on that same note, she was now interested in his young apprentice. From past experience, the brown-haired negawarrior knew that she would, to sate her curiosity, scry on the training sessions. While he was a loyal general of the Dark Kingdom, sometimes Beryl's...appetites...disturbed him, and he did not want Ranma to fall prey to those...indulgences...that her majesty enjoyed from time to time.

Taking a moment to stop and gather his thoughts in one of the city's many squares, Nephrite found his gaze fixated on the large statue of black crystalline construction at its center, a statue of him. It had been dedicated, the dark general recalled, after his successful annexation of one of the neighboring nations some fifteen millennia past. As he looked at the statue, he thought, 'I haven't changed at all...not in twenty millennia.'

Slowly gazing at the surrounding buildings in the perpetual twilight of Dark Moon, Nephrite reflected on how different this place was compared to the cities of Terra...and how similar. Certainly, the structures were made from different materials, crystal rather than concrete and mythril rather than steel, and these buildings were made to accommodate a wider variety of forms than any human buildings. However, even with the higher ceilings and more often ramps than stairs, there was a definite similarity between Dark Moon and, say, Hong Kong. The streets still teemed with residents, workers, business 'people', children, and the occasional warrior youma or, even rarer, negalyte, and the buildings still reached for the sky, though here roiling black clouds perpetually covered it.

Continuing his morose walk, Nephrite did not notice when another person fell into step with him in his continued musings. This situation continued until the dark general left the more populated streets, and then he finally noticed the other man who'd joined him on the walk. Considering his latest companion, the dark general looked a bit puzzled.

"Hello, Jadeite," he said quietly, and the other dark general smiled his usual sardonic, false smile. "What brings you to this part of Dark Moon?"

The blonde general replied, "Welcome back, Nephrite. I was heading toward the central armory when I saw you, so I thought I'd say hello since you haven't been back in a while."

"Ah, I see," the brown-haired negawarrior nodded. "So what's happened in my absence, old friend?"

"Well," answered Jadeite, continuing to speak quietly. "You missed the final briefing, and the invasion has begun."

"Queen Beryl told me that when I spoke to her earlier," said Nephrite. "However, she didn't tell me what all was decided, and you know how I feel about asking Zoisite and Kunzite."

Jadeite smirked at this, and replied, "Yes, I know, and I agree." Looking a bit more serious, but unable to hide his pleasure, the shorthaired, blonde negawarrior continued. "I was given command of the resourcing component of the operation, so my youma are the first to set foot on Terra in twenty millennia."

Nephrite nodded. "Congratulations. So, where is the draining operation?"

"During my scouting mission, I came across only one place on Terra that had the proper conjunction of lei lines to mimic the environment of Dark Moon," Jadeite replied with a smirk. "It's a Terran city called Tokyo. There should be more than enough humans to gather all the lifeforce we need from a city like that, and we can save a great deal of energy since youma can almost survive there naturally."

Nephrite's eyes narrowed when the other man mentioned that the first battleground on Terra would be Tokyo; he had hoped that Ranma would be well away from the fighting during the rest of his training. 'Oh well,' he thought, minutely shrugging his shoulders. 'I doubt I'd be able to get Ranma to leave now that he's home.'

"You look a bit troubled, Nephrite," Jadeite said into the silence following his revelation of the local he was using for his operation. "Is there something wrong with using Tokyo for this operation?"

The brown-haired man slowly shook his head and replied, "Not really. It just overlaps with a few of my plans, that's all. I can adjust to accommodate your operation so that we don't get in each other's way."

With Nephrite's reassurance, Jadeite smiled. "That's good to hear. So, what kept you on Terra for so long?"

Nephrite was about to answer when he realized that they had reached his destination, and he replied instead, "Well, why don't I tell you about it over some tea. It's been quite a while since I've been out here to my villa, and I was going to relax tonight before returning to Terra.

Jadeite looked up at the gates momentarily, a puzzled expression on his face as he gazed at the mythril bars. However, less than a second later the expression faded and he said, "Sure, Nephrite."

Nephrite nodded at his old friend and ushered him through the already opening gates.

--------------------------------

As the gates slowly swung open, seemingly of their own accord, Jadeite took a quick look at Nephrite's villa. Built in an open, airy style, the house seemed made for nothing but relaxation. The three-meter-tall crystal wall surrounding the dwelling was separated from the villa by a small garden, a few small statues and fountains, well maintained, were scattered across the grounds.

"I don't think I've been here in about two hundred years," said Jadeite in a quiet voice, not wishing to disturb the peaceful atmosphere. "It looks just the same."

Nephrite nodded to his friend and gestured for him to follow. As the two dark generals entered the house, Jadeite continued his examination of the place. It seemed that the nominal size of the dwelling was even smaller than expected, made evident by the door, only three meters ahead, into another garden, this one encircled by the villa.

The short-haired negawarrior's musings were interrupted when a youma entered the foyer, her red skin and waist-length blue hair making her human-like form all the more exotic. She was barefoot and wore a light, sleeveless tunic and soft, loose pants that almost floated around her legs, both in unsullied white, as she moved to greet the entering men.

"Master Nephrite," she said in a soft, cool voice conveying nothing but respect, her fist-over-heart salute accompanying her bow. To Jadeite, her voice reminded him of a small, cold mountain stream, refreshing and pleasant to hear. As he thought, the youma continued. "It is good to see you again; I hope you are pleased with the maintenance of the villa."

Nephrite smiled at the youma and replied, "I am very pleased, Karia. You have done an excellent job here."

Karia smiled brightly at the praise and turned toward Jadeite saying, "And welcome, also, to you, General Jadeite."

"Thank you," replied the blonde negawarrior, all the while wracking his brain about the blue-haired youma. He was certain he had met her before, but he could not, to save his life, remember when.

Smiling brightly and showing a few sharp teeth, the red-skinned girl spoke again. "I was just about to prepare a light repast and tea; may I also prepare something for you and your guest, Master Nephrite?"

Nephrite smiled at Karia in return and replied, "Yes, please. That was precisely what I had in mind."

Bowing again to the brown-haired negawarrior, Karia said, "It will be ready in twenty minutes."

With that, the blue-haired youma padded from the room, and Nephrite turned to his blonde companion. "Shall we wait in the garden?" asked the brown-haired man.

"Certainly," Jadeite replied, waiting for Nephrite to lead the way. The owner of the villa preceded his guest toward the inner garden, and Jadeite finally remembered why this place had always been a haven for his long time friend. If the garden surrounding the house was peaceful, then this was serene. The fountains in the corners of the enclosed garden babbled quietly, gifting the place with an ambient background, and four cobblestone paths ran from the villa proper to the center of the terrarium where a table and four chairs awaited them. The high, clear crystal roof above glowed with ambient light, lending the garden a pale glow almost like moonlight, but what astounded Jadeite the most, as it always had in the past, were the plants. Terran plants.

As he now remembered feeling before, Jadeite experienced a subtle shift of energy as he stepped into the enclosed garden, and he once again marveled at the construct that allowed Terran plants to live in the Negaverse. Nephrite, or one of his negalyte lieutenants, had kept the construct powered for over twenty millennia, and each blade of grass, each shrub, and especially the one tall oak tree in the garden were a treasure beyond worth in the Dark Kingdom. Even in Dark Moon, an area of nominal neutrality in the conflicting energies of the Universe and Negaverse, life forms without will could not survive. Even in these comparably low levels of negaforce, creatures that did not have the mental capacity for thought would perish from exposure, similar to the radiation poisoning early Silver Millennium researchers had experienced while studying Sol too much closer than Mercury's orbit.

As the two dark generals made their way to the chairs and seated themselves, Jadeite relished the feel of lifeforce surrounding him. After twenty thousand years of exile, twenty millennia of staving off the transformation into a negalyte, it had been wonderful to visit Terra once more. He was still human, unlike all of the other negawarriors that were not Guardians at the time of banishment, and being back in his natural environment after so long was nearly orgasmic: this garden was like a little piece of Terra in the Negaverse. 'In fact,' Jadeite thought, 'if it weren't for my duty to Queen Beryl, I would probably just stay on Terra. I truly have missed my home these long millennia.'

Nephrite's voice broke his train of thought as the other dark general said, "You look depressed, Jadeite. What troubles you so?"

"It's nothing," replied Jadeite, a somewhat sad smirk resting on his face. "I was just thinking of Terra and how wonderful it felt to be there again."

The brown-haired negawarrior nodded. "Yes, it was wonderful."

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Jadeite replied in a quizzical voice. "Was it that feeling that kept you away for so long?"

"No," Nephrite replied, smiling tiredly. "Though being on Terra again was magnificent, it wasn't that."

The blonde negawarrior's eyes narrowed at the evasive reply, and he said, "Well then, what was it? I have a great deal of respect for your abilities at scouting, and I'm very curious about why your mission took so long."

Nephrite looked a bit reluctant, but after a moment he responded. "I found someone on Terra, someone who has a great deal of potential as a negawarrior."

Jadeite scoffed. "There's no time to train another negawarrior right now! The invasion has already begun!"

Nephrite was about to reply when he sat bolt upright in his chair, his eyes widening and becoming unfocused. The short-haired negawarrior frowned at his friend and said, "What's wrong, Nephrite?"

Slowly, the longer haired dark general relaxed into his seat, his eyes returning to normal. "Nothing is actually wrong," he replied quietly. "I just received a beacon call from my apprentice, and the news is very interesting. I suggest that you query your youma in Azabu Juuban."

Jadeite's eyes narrowed at Nephrite's words. 'How could he know my youma are in Juuban?' he thought, but nonetheless, the blonde dark general stood and walked toward the foyer door to the garden. It was impossible to use constructs in the protected area due to the complete lack of negaforce, so he had to return to the villa proper to query his warriors. As he finally stepped out of the garden, Jadeite, quickly and with deft skill, formed his communication construct and reached out to his youma.

Eyes widening and a gasp drawing breath quickly into his lungs, Jadeite discovered that one of his four youma in Juuban was gone. Furious, the dark general clenched his teeth and returned to the table where Nephrite sat, impassive.

"How did you know that one of my youma was dead?!" the enraged negawarrior shouted at his friend. "What the hell is going on here?!"

Nephrite's eyes narrowed, and Jadeite quickly understood his faux pas. Disturbing such a peaceful place with angry words was not to be done, and that it was one of the dwellings his friend maintained only made the situation worse. "I apologize, my friend," he said quickly, and was relieved that Nephrite's frown disappeared. Once Nephrite seemed calm once again, Jadeite continued, "I still want to know how you knew."

Nephrite sighed and replied, "My apprentice witnessed the battle and subsequent death of the youma, but he didn't quite understand what occurred."

Jadeite morosely considered this turn of events, his mind reeling at the sudden loss of a quarter of his current plan. It was bad enough that one of his operations had failed, but the fact that his youma had died was terrible. 'I need to speak to her family,' he thought unhappily. 'They should know of her fate...wait a minute!'

"What's all this about an apprentice, Nephrite," the blonde said, his anger returning but not his previous volume.

Nephrite sighed before answering, his voice carrying a decidedly exasperated tone. "I already told you that I found someone who has great potential as a negawarrior, and after only nine weeks of training, he was inducted."

It took a moment for the words to parse inside Jadeite's mind, but once the information was finally understood, the light-haired negawarrior gaped at his equal. "Did you actually say nine WEEKS???" he asked incredulously, and at the brown-haired man's nod, Jadeite's mouth fell open even as his eyes widened. "That's absolutely unheard of! It took us over a year, and we were Guardian Candidates! This is absolutely astounding!"

This particular revelation was affecting Jadeite in strange ways, and the blonde general's eyes narrowed again as he continued to consider the information. "Wait a minute," he said in an annoyed tone. "If your apprentice watched the battle, why didn't he help?"

Looking annoyed himself, Nephrite replied, "Because I specifically instructed him not to enter into any battle where negaforce or mana-based magic was being used. He only knows the basic sensory and harvesting constructs, Jadeite."

At this rather obvious declaration, Jadeite felt a bit chagrinned, but before he could respond, Karia entered the garden bearing a tray.

Smiling, the blue-haired youma set the tray down between the two men saying, "Here is the meal and tea. Please enjoy them." After bowing once again to the two generals, she retreated once more to the interior of the villa.

Jadeite snagged the closer cup of tea and stared into its depths, trying to find comfort in the green liquid. It seemed to work as he felt the peace of the garden seep slowly through his mind, and by the time he took his first sip, the blonde negawarrior could once again speak without emotion clouding his judgment.

"Nephrite," he said in a calm voice. At the other man's nod, he continued. "Please tell me about this apprentice of yours."

"Well," replied Nephrite, the smile and pride in his voice obvious. "His name is Ranma.…"

--------------------------------

Sailor Moon yelped as she felt a set of sharp claws penetrate the skin on her back, and she leapt out of bed. Unfortunately for the teenaged girl, she was still in her transformed state, so when she jumped, she hit her head on the ceiling and sent the small, but sharp, object on her back slamming into the wall. Hitting the ground on her bottom, tears began to leak from her eyes.

'That really hurt,' she thought, unhappy with being awoken in such a manner, but then, the memories of the previous night made themselves known. 'By the Kami! Did I really kill a monster last night?!'

Looking to the dark shape lying crumpled on the floor of her bedroom, Moon gasped. 'NO!!!" she shouted in her mind seeing the broken form of a cat lying on the carpet. 'Oh KAMI! I killed Luna!!!!'

Working totally on instinct since her conscious mind shut down at the sight of the small, oddly twisted form on the floor, Sailor Moon fingered the transformation brooch at the center of the bow on her chest. 'I wish,' she thought as tears streamed down her cheeks. 'I wish Luna was alright.'

Astounding the new superhero, the brooch glowed brightly and a wave of power was directed at the broken cat. Moon watched as the cat's ribs and spine were realigned under the shining beacon that her brooch let forth, and the little advisor's eyelids fluttered as she regained consciousness. Once the healing was completed, the Senshi collapsed, completely drained.

--------------------------------

Luna slowly pulled herself from the floor, a strange sense of mortal fear suffusing her mind. 'I could have sworn that Sailor Moon just killed me,' she thought, disturbed by the aberrant notion. 'It must have been my imagination.'

Seeing Usagi, still in the guise of Sailor Moon, lying prone on the floor in a crumpled heap reminded Luna of her previous action, and she resolved, 'Never wake the girl like that when she is Sailor Moon.'

Taking a brief moment to cast her status spell on Moon's sleeping form, the small black cat sighed with relief. While there was still some bruising, the broken ribs were almost completely healed, and the other cuts and bruises from the fight had fully vanished. The reason that the girl had collapsed was, strangely enough, exhaustion.

Padding up to the girl silently, Luna pawed the brooch. To anyone uninitiated with Senshi, Usagi's body appeared to be wrapped in red ribbons that retracted into the small piece of jewelry, returning the blonde devil hunter to her original condition before her first transformation. Coincidentally, that also meant that she was still in her school uniform. Usagi moaned slightly in her sleep and rolled onto her side as Luna pawed the transformation brooch across the floor to a safer spot underneath the sleeping girl's nightstand.

Finally satisfied that her blonde charge's identity would remain a secret, Luna padded silently from the room seeking a safer place to sleep.

--------------------------------

Sunlight playing across his closed eyelids slowly brought Ranma from the bliss of sleep into wakefulness, and he stirred slowly on his bedroll in the otherwise unfurnished room. For a moment, he didn't remember why he was sleeping in a room rather than under some tree in China, but memories from the previous day slowly filtered into his awareness. He was in his newly rented apartment, and today he needed to enroll in school.

Rolling off of the sleeping mat and blinking blurry eyes, Ranma slowly climbed to his feet, and like a zombie from a cheesy B flick, he staggered over to the bathroom of the small apartment. Flicking on the cold water at the sink, he splashed his face, the chill liquid finally bringing the pigtailed negawarrior to full wakefulness.

Thirty minutes later, after a shower, Ranma pulled his last set of clean clothes from his backpack and dressed for the day, the outfit identical to what he'd worn the day before save that the shirt was black.

'I'd better buy some more clothes today,' he thought as he slipped his shoes on and headed out of the apartment. As Ranma walked down the hall toward the elevators, he drew a small amount of negaforce and used the annihilation energy to power his sensory constructs once again. Most of his neighbors were awake and beginning their daily rituals, and the young negawarrior found nothing in these mundane tasks to pique his interest.

The elevator arrived at his floor, and Ranma noted that the other occupant was one Umishi Ichiro, the apartment building manager.

"Ohayou, Umishi-san," Ranma greeted absently.

"Ohayou," the older man replied, but then his voice grew puzzled. "I don't believe we've met, young man, and I know I've met all the tenants on this floor. Who are you?"

For a moment, Ranma was completely baffled by the manager's denial, but then it hit him. 'Oh yeah,' he thought, mentally smacking himself in the forehead. 'I was a girl when I met him last!'

"I'm Saotome Ranma," he answered. "Sorry about this. Ranko is my sister, and she told me about you."

Immediately, Umishi's face brightened. "Ah," he said. "You must have gotten in late last night, and Ranko let you in. I see. Pleased to meet you, Saotome-san."

After replying in kind to the man's introductory rote, Ranma asked, "By the way, do you know where the local high school is? I need to get enrolled."

"Oh yes," Ichiro answered, nodding. "Juuban High is only a few blocks from here, but to get enrolled you'll need proof of address. Come by the office with me before you go, and I'll give you a copy of your rental receipt."

The pigtailed teen nodded his assent to the manager, and when the elevator reached the ground floor, Ranma followed the older man to the office. It only took a few keystrokes on his computer to set the laser printer going, and a moment later Ranma was holding the still-hot copy of his rental receipt. Thanking Umishi, the pigtailed negawarrior made his way out of the building and toward the high school.

--------------------------------

"GAAAAAHHHH!"

Usagi's eyes shot open as she heard her brother scream, and adrenaline-energized muscles brought her to her feet quicker than her mother would have believed. Memories of Luna saying that the enemies might attack her family ran through the blonde's head as she through her door open and raced for her brother's door.

"Shingo!" she cried out, and threw his door open...just to be hit squarely in the face with a pillow.

"Get away!" Shingo yelled, and Usagi could almost hear panic in the boy's voice. "Get away from MEEE!!!"

Finally removing the pillow from her face, Usagi's gaze shot around the room, trying to find the menacing youma that would attack her family. Instead, all she saw as Shingo scrambling up the headboard of his bed, and Luna waking up at the foot.

Clenching her teeth, Usagi launched the pillow at her little brother, yelling, "What the heck's wrong with you, Shingo!? Your screaming nearly scared the life outta me!!"

The pillow caught Shingo in the face, and the blonde teen stalked over to the bed and collected Luna. Holding the small black cat protectively to her chest, she continued to tease her little brother.

"What's the big deal, Shingo?" she jibbed. "She's just a cute widdle kitty. Is my baby brother afraid of a cute widdle kitty? Huh??"

Shingo almost recovered enough to shout at his sister, but then Usagi grabbed Luna by the scruff of her neck and waved her a handful of centimeters from Shingo's face, eliciting another scream from the boy. Usagi laughed even harder as he resumed his panicky retreat, just egging her on.

"Usagi! Shingo!" came the voice of Ikuko from below. "Come down for breakfast!"

Usagi thrust Luna at Shingo one last time before calling back, "Okay, Mom!" Cradling Luna against her chest once more, Usagi left the room and headed down the stairs.

--------------------------------

Strangely enough, the school was devoid of students when Ranma arrived, and a brief glance at a nearby clock explained why. 'Seven thirty...' thought Ranma, annoyed that he hadn't looked at a clock before. 'School doesn't start for another hour. Maybe I should catch some breakfast first, then.'

A quick glance around revealed a small coffee shop across the street from the school, and while coffee and pastries were hardly a traditional breakfast, Ranma decided to eat there anyway. Suiting actions to thoughts, Ranma walked the fifteen meters to the shop.

Ducking beneath the shop curtain, the pigtailed teen briefly scanned the interior of the shop with both eyes and negawarrior senses, and he was quite surprised by the crowd. In fact, it seemed that this coffee shop was a popular before-school hang out for students, and most of the tables were already filled with teenagers. Ranma almost decided to try to find a quieter place to have breakfast when he sensed someone familiar in the room. Repeating his scan, the young negawarrior confirmed it, and he walked into the shop toward a table in the far corner.

"Nice to see you again," Ranma greeted as he reached the table, a smile on his face, and the redhead sitting there looked up, startled. "May I join you?"

Once Unazuki got over her surprise, she smiled at Ranma's greeting and replied, "Sure. It's nice to see I didn't scare you away last night."

"No chance of that," Ranma said as he made himself comfortable in the chair opposite Unazuki. Before he could say more, a college-age waitress stepped up to the table. It seemed that Unazuki had not yet ordered, so she went ahead with an order for apple strudel and a breve. After taking her order, the waitress turned to Ranma, and he answered the same.

"You don't really seem like the type who would like that, Ranma," said Unazuki after the waitress left. "You really strike me as the more traditional type when it comes to food."

"Naa," replied Ranma, smirking. "Honestly, I think I'd eat anything that's edible."

Unazuki giggled at that, and then said, "What brings you out so early?"

Ranma opened his mouth to answer, but Unazuki suddenly smacked a fist into her open palm and said, "Oh! I remember. You were going to enroll in school today, weren't you?"

Again, Ranma tried to speak, and again, Unazuki, smiling brightly, cut him off without realizing it. "How 'bout I show you around and help you get enrolled? C'mon, it'll be fun!"

This time, Ranma's answer was cut off by the return of the waitress with their breakfast, and from that point until Ranma had finished his strudel and half his breve, there was no conversation.

"Hey," said Unazuki after she finished her pastry. "Look at the time! School is going to start in, like, fifteen minutes! We have to hurry!"

Without waiting for Ranma to speak or move, Unazuki grabbed his hand and pulled the pigtailed teen out of the coffee shop, across the street, and into the school.

--------------------------------

Luna sullenly ate the tuna that Ikuko gave her and eyed Usagi angrily, but even her annoyance at being used as a prop in the rampant sibling rivalry evident in the Tsukino household did not blind her to the significance of the conversation taking place at the table. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that her fate would be decided without her being able to defend herself, and despite the fact that she knew she couldn't talk to the rest of the family, it still irked her to allow such a thing to happen.

"I hate cats!" Shingo was saying. "I wanna get rid of it!"

No matter how angry she was with Usagi, Luna couldn't help but be offended by being called 'it', and when Usagi championed her causes as a living, sentient being, the small black cat was at least somewhat pleased, even if the rest of the family wasn't supposed to know she was sentient. Thankfully, no one thought to question the blonde teen's diction.

"Shingo!" Usagi exclaimed. "Luna is a she, not an it! That's downright rude! Please, can I keep her as a pet, Mom?"

'Hmm,' thought Luna. 'This is predictable enough. First arguing with the sibling, and now appeals to the parents. This actually reminds me of when I was a kitten.'

The next move, however, surprised Luna.

"You two will just have to decide between yourselves, Usagi," said Ikuko, and a moment later, Kenji nodded in agreement with his wife.

Luna looked up at the two parental figures, aghast. This particular development changed her chances of staying here, in her estimation, from fifty-fifty to little-to-none, and her being forced to live elsewhere would complicate her mission significantly. However, the damage was already done, and Luna watched as Usagi nodded her acceptance of the deal and excused herself from the table.

Quickly, Luna ate the rest of the tuna and followed her young charge upstairs, still licking her lips after the tasty meal. As she entered Usagi's room, the small black cat cast a quick scanning spell to confirm that they were alone, and seeing this to be the case, she whispered, "Usagi, you'll never be able to get Shingo to accept me. That was definitely a nearly phobic reaction!"

Usagi, her voice muffled as she pulled a shirt on, replied, "There was no other way, Luna. When Mom says that it's up to us, she means it, and if we get too bad about it, Shingo and I'll both feel it."

Almost growling, Luna rebutted, "It will really make my job here very hard if I have to live somewhere else, Usagi. Don't forget that I need to train you and advise you about your powers!"

Pausing mid-way in fastening her skirt, Usagi leaned over the small cat and whispered fiercely. "Shh! Luna, you're the one that told me that I had to keep my identity a secret!"

Luna looked at her quizzically for a moment, and then replied, "Oh relax, Usagi. I'm monitoring the area with a scanning spell. No one else is even upstairs."

Usagi shrugged and resumed dressing for school. "In any case," she continued. "I think you should try to make Shingo like you, because we won't have a choice if you don't."

--------------------------------

Standing outside his new homeroom, Ranma shook his right hand to try to get some of the feeling back. Unazuki didn't look it, but she had some real strength in her grip. Speaking of the enthusiastic redhead, she was smiling encouragingly at him, urging him to go in.

Since he already had his proof of residence, enrollment hadn't been half as difficult as he'd expected, the only hitch being when asked about parents. In the end, Ranma said that he was an orphan and that his guardian had not yet arrived in Tokyo. The school had accepted that one only on the promise that his guardian had to come by the school within two weeks of his attendance, a condition to which Ranma readily agreed.

With those events in the past, now all Ranma had to do was surrender the better part of almost every day to this mind-numbingly boring place, and even though he hated it, he would do it to keep people from being too suspicious.

"C'mon, Ranma!" Unazuki urged, impatient to go inside. "Just get your introduction over with and everything will be fine."

Ranma almost chuckled at her misinterpretation of his hesitation, but instead he shrugged. "Alright," he said in a resigned voice. "Let's do it."

She nodded once and turned, knocking at the classroom door. A moment later, a high-pitched voice replied, "Come in."

As Unazuki opened the door, Ranma saw the owner of the voice, and he almost burst out laughing. Of course, this did nothing to endear the speaker to him.

"Saotome-san," the small girl wearing a yellow dress at the front of the room intoned gravely. "I don't know what is so funny, and this is hardly the way to introduce yourself to your classmates."

Before Ranma could say anything else, Unazuki cut him off, giggling. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I just had to see your reaction to our instructor. This is Ninomiya Hinako-sensei, and yes, she really is a teacher."

"I see, Furuhata-san," Hinako continued crossly, but her voice lost most of its annoyance. "You really should avoid tricking other students like that, but I'll overlook it this time. Please take your seat."

As Unazuki moved to a desk near the back of the room, Hinako turned to Ranma. "Saotome-san," she said, "I have a somewhat rare condition that leaves me looking like this most of the time. I would appreciate it if my condition is ignored, if you please."

"Hai, Hinako-sensei," replied the pigtailed negawarrior while doing everything in his power to avoid laughing. "I'll be sure to remember that."

"Good," said the apparent child, smiling cutely. "Well, why don't you introduce yourself?"

Turning to the class, Ranma smiled and said, "Hello, everyone; I'm Saotome Ranma. Pleased to meetcha."

--------------------------------

As Usagi reached Juuban Junior High, she noticed that Luna had decided not to follow her. 'Good,' she thought. 'Maybe Luna decided to try to make friends with Shingo.'

Since, for once, she was actually ten minutes early to class, she walked toward her classroom at a fairly sedate pace, a far cry from her usual speed. As she entered the classroom, the first thing she noticed was that Haruna-sensei's desk was empty, and since this was the second day in a row that she arrived at school before the normally obsessively punctual teacher, she began to worry. Glancing around the rest of the room, she noted that almost all the other students were already seated, ready for class, and she decided that the best course of action was to head for her own desk.

'Odd,' thought Usagi. 'Since transforming yesterday, it's been really easy to concentrate and remember things.'

Unfortunately for her train of thought, a nerdish boy decided that now was a good time to penny the tracks, and the train derailed with his greeting of "Hey there, hot stuff!"

Indignantly, Usagi turned to face the hentai that referred to her in such a vulgar manner...and was caught completely off guard by seeing Umino standing there...wearing a suit.

"What's the big idea, Umino?" asked Usagi in a heated, offended tone. However, unlike his usual demeanor, the information dealer did not immediately back down.

"I said, 'Hey there, hot stuff,'" replied Umino, unabashed. "You have to know I like you, and you constantly rebuff me. I just don't understand it, sweetie."

Usagi growled at the boy's presumption, but her indignation was preempted by Haruna's entrance into the classroom. The teacher tiredly staggered to her desk, her face lined and her eyes baggy.

"Alright, class," she said tiredly. "If anyone is absent, please raise your hand."

While funny the day before, this performance now, two days in a row, was alarming to Usagi. She exchanged a quick glance with another classmate, and the other girl sent back a look that definitely agreed with Usagi's assessment of the situation.

"Alright," Haruna continued in an exhausted tone. "Free study for today."

With that, Haruna dropped her head to her desk and began snoring, and most of the class cheered for two days of good luck. However, Usagi and Umino were not among them. Usagi didn't cheer because she was worried about Haruna-sensei, but Umino's reason was revealed only after he walked to where Haruna was sleeping.

"Ha!" the nerdish boy shouted as he knocked the halfway unconscious teacher from her chair. Beyond this, to the delight of the boys and the disgust of the girls, he undressed the sleeping teacher completely, leaving her naked on the classroom floor.

"Heh, heh, heh," Umino chuckled as he looked down at the exhausted, naked teacher. "I knew you were hot, teach!"

Usagi almost screamed as Umino undressed Haruna, but for some reason not even known to the girl herself, a corner of her mind assessed the situation logically, all she did was stare in disgust. While the blonde's mind invented all sorts of cruelties Umino could inflict upon the helpless teacher, the nerd defied them all by turning away from the nude woman and walking out of the classroom.

--------------------------------

A small black shape crouched in the bushes near Tsukino Shingo's primary school, and the creature wracked its brain, trying to figure out how to endear itself to a young boy.

'Damn it,' Luna thought. 'It's not as though I really am a cat...not a normal one, anyway.'

If anyone had seen Luna at that moment, they would have agreed with her assessment quite readily. She was lounging on her side under the cover of the bush, but she had one forepaw cocked at an odd angle to support her chin, a highly anthropomorphized position similar to the thinker.

'Oh forget it,' Luna finally thought. 'I'll just go up to him and act like any other cat. Maybe he'll just get over his fears.'

Deciding on this course of action, the black cat stood and stretched, working the kinks out of her stiff muscles. Doing a quick survey of the area, Luna saw that she had made her decision just in time: Shingo was walking with and talking animatedly to a classmate and would pass her hiding place in only a few seconds.

As Shingo passed the bush, Luna walked out and rubbed up against his leg, doing her very best to look hyper cute...but this just didn't have the desired results.

"GAAHH!"

For her part, Luna only bounced twice after being kicked in the boy's escape, and after shaking the stars from her eyes, Luna thought, 'This isn't going to be easy....'

--------------------------------

A distortion in the air of Ranma's living room precursed Nephrite's entrance by only a fraction of a second, and the dark general scanned the area with eyes and negaforce constructs before moving. 'Hmm,' he thought appraisingly. 'Ranma got us a pretty good place here,' and then his thoughts turned wry to match an amused smirk, 'but the furnishings are a bit spartan for my tastes.'

Before going any further, Nephrite decided that his uniform would be a bit conspicuous if he left the apartment, and he empowered a quick construct to change it into a somewhat stylish green sport coat and slacks combination with a white dress shirt. Taking a quick look at himself using a minor surveillance construct, he made certain that the clothing was correct for the modern style.

Giving himself a quick tour of the apartment, he assumed that the empty room was his and the room containing Ranma's bedroll and pack was the kid's. Expanding his scan to examine the surrounding apartments and buildings, he assessed the location's positive and negative factors.

'Well,' he thought. 'It's close to everything with a good harvesting base nearby, but that could be a double-edged sword, considering Jadeite's task. I'd much rather Ranma be left out of the fighting entirely until he's ready, but I guess we don't always get what we wish for. I'd better teach him some shield constructs next.'

In the kitchen, Nephrite noticed a note and a key. Pocketing the key and picking up the note, he read, 'Nephrite, Going to enroll in school. Telling everyone you're my guardian. Key is for the apartment. –Ranma.'

Finally satisfied with his apprentice's work, Nephrite briefly scribed a note on the wall opposite the front door that only Ranma could see with his sensory construct and headed out of the door. The hall leading from the apartment to the elevator was in excellent condition, and Nephrite was pleased with the lack of tacky decorum. The elevator was similar, and upon reaching the ground floor, Nephrite decided that he would have to make certain that the designer of this building would survive the liberation of Terra.

Before he managed to leave the building, however, a middle-aged man entering the lobby with a sandwich greeted him. "Konnichiwa, sir," he said politely, giving Nephrite a bow. "I saw you come from the tenant elevators, but I do not believe that we have met. My name is Umishi Ichiro, the building manager."

"Sanjouin Masato," replied Nephrite as he returned the bow. "I'm Saotome Ranma's guardian."

"Ah," said Umishi. "I see. I've already met both of your charges, and they seem like a very nice pair of kids. I can see how you trusted Ranko-san to find an apartment before her brother and you arrived; she seems very responsible."

Momentarily puzzled, Nephrite just looked at the man. However, just as the apartment manager was getting somewhat uncomfortable with the dark general's silence, understanding dawned on Nephrite. 'Clever, Ranma,' he thought, smiling. 'So, now you're your own sister. I'll have to help you out on that one.'

To Umishi, he said, "Yes, Ranko-chan is a very responsible young woman. I apologize, Umishi-san, but I really must be going."

"Of course, Sanjouin-san," replied the apartment manager with a renewed smile. "Have a good day."

Nephrite replied in kind as he walked past the older-appearing man.

--------------------------------

When his third period teacher left the classroom, Ranma realized something was wrong. All around him, students were pulling out cloth-wrapped bento boxes and talking, the sounds and sights of lunchtime at a school. As expected, Ranma's stomach growled, but that 'something' that was wrong was his lack of a bento.

'Maybe the school has one of those food counters so I can buy some lunch,' he thought, rising from his seat. A quick search of the halls revealed just such a counter, but then he realized that his only form of readily available money was a debit card. Unfortunately for the pigtailed negawarrior, the food counter didn't take plastic, and there was no ATM in sight.

Sighing, Ranma headed back toward his classroom, resigned to have nothing for lunch. As he dropped into his seat, a cheerful voice said, "Hey, Ranma! Where's your lunch?"

Looking to his left where Unazuki was eating her rather large bento, Ranma replied, "I don't have one. I forgot to buy something this morning or even get any money out of the bank."

Without replying, Unazuki started scooping some of her rice into the lid of her bento box, and Ranma asked, "What are you doing?"

"My parents own the restaurant where I work," she replied distractedly, "so they always give me way too much in my bento. I figure the least I can do is share it." That last was said with a quick glance at his face and a cheery smile.

"Really, you don't have to do that," said Ranma, but his stomach decided that moment was a good time to disagree, growling loudly. The pigtailed teen scratched the back of his head and laughed, embarrassed.

"I know I don't have to," the redhead replied, scooping some yellowtail sashimi and broiled eel next to the rice in the bento lid. "But I want to."

Too hungry to argue further, Ranma accepted the food-laden bento lid with a quick "Arigatou" and quickly proved that he was still a Saotome. Unazuki, for her part, stared wide-eyed at the performance of the Musabetsu eating technique; he was finished in thirty seconds flat.

"Did you even taste that?" she asked in an awestruck voice. "I've never seen anyone eat like that."

"Yeap," replied the negawarrior in a happy tone. "And it was great!"

Unazuki could only shake her head at his reply.

--------------------------------

The dark beast continued her vigil over the primary school, waiting for the right opportunity to strike and make her target like her. Over the past several minutes, children had been exiting the school for recess, and if the black predator was to find her target, she needed to be vigilant.

'There!' the creature thought as she spotted her quarry. 'Maybe if I sneak up on him, he won't have a chance to run.'

Now, one must understand that the use of the predator's mind is not advisable in making friends, but Luna had yet to make this realization. Creeping from her hiding place, she approached her prey from its blind spot and downwind; the boy would not escape.

Finally reaching pouncing distance, the small black cat made one last survey of the target. The boy was standing still, talking with the same classmate Luna had seen earlier in the day. The girl was paying close attention to what Shingo was saying, and Luna decided to listen for a moment.

"Don't you think, Mika-chan?" asked Shingo.

"I don't know, Shingo-kun," she replied, her voice somewhat dubious. "I don't see what's wrong with letting your sister keep a cat. But on the other hand, I'd rather have a Shaneera, myself."

Luna tuned them out, a small part of her brain wondering just what caused the youngest Tsukino's extreme dislike of felines. However, the vast majority of her brain was still focused into predator mode, so that line of inquiry was placed on low priority.

As her target continued to talk about the strange new pets, Shaneera, Luna crouched for the pounce. 'Once he feels how soft my fur is and sees that I don't use my claws,' Luna thought, 'he'll see that I'm nice. Then he'll let me stay.'

Luna sprang from her position and landed on Shingo's shoulder, careful to avoid using her claws for purchase. Taking a deep breath, she started purring as loudly as she could...with predictable results.

"GAAAHHHH!!"

Shingo leapt into the air and then broke for the school entrance, the other students laughing at him. Unfortunately, Luna's instincts overrode her resolution to not use her claws, and she dug them into the boy's shoulder to keep her perch as the youngest Tsukino accelerated. This just made him increase his speed even further and scream louder, and just as he was about to reenter the school, Shingo made a quick one eighty that finally dislodged Luna from his shoulder. The small cat fell to the tiled floor of the school entry hall and slid all the way to the opposite wall.

Panting for breath, Luna stared wide-eyed at the boy, still running for his life. She would have sat there for some time yet, but an annoyed voice grasped her attention.

"I just waxed this floor, cat," growled the school janitor, but Luna was less captivated by his words than the broom he was currently brandishing. "Get out of here!!"

Luna raced for the door, a swipe from the broom lending extra speed to her mad dash for her hiding place in the bushes.

--------------------------------

Umino was getting worse every minute, and whatever insanity gripped the normally timid boy seemed to be spreading to the other students. Usagi watched Umino from a safe distance as he started breaking windows, throwing what ever came to hand at them, and the worst part was that some of their classmates had started emulating him. At first it was just a couple of other boys, but by lunch time, everyone other than Usagi was running around the classroom and halls, breaking things, drawing graffiti on the walls, and fighting.

Making sure to keep out of sight, Usagi began to retreat from the insanity, a few tears leaking from her eyes because of the destruction. Turning a corner, she walked away from the riot waiting to happen, but just as she thought she had escaped, a hand landed on her shoulder. Screaming, Usagi jumped at least a meter into the air, coming down facing her attacker.

"What the hell is wrong with you today, Umino?!" the blonde shouted at the suit-clad boy. "I hate you when you're like this!"

Heedless of her words, Umino advanced on Usagi without speaking, a small, arrogant smirk resting on his face, and for the first time ever, Usagi felt menace from her erstwhile friend.

"Umino," Usagi began, her voice finally showing some of her fear. "What do you think you're doing?"

The smirk on Umino's face widened into a cruel smile, and he answered, "Well, sweet thing, what do you think? I told you that I just don't understand why you're so cold to me, and now I'm going to force the issue."

The blonde's eyes widened at the implication of Umino's words, and she began to back away from the information dealer. However, a moment later, her back was pressed against the wall, and Umino was holding her there with a hand on each shoulder. Bringing his face within an inch of her own, the nerdish boy said, "Well, fancy seeing you like this, hotty. Let's just go ahead and take advantage of it, shall we?"

Then the boy leaned in and kissed her, and Usagi felt her fragile heart shatter. Umino had just stolen her first kiss, and it tore her apart. In the wake of her depression came two feelings: white-hot anger and the resolve to punish the one who took away her first kiss.

Even Usagi didn't see the punch coming, and it was her fist connecting with Umino's head. As the boy flew toward the opposite side of the hall, some of the combat instincts she had retained from her transformed state kicked in, and she landed a powerful side kick into the information dealer's stomach, increasing his speed and slamming him into the wall. The enraged blonde teen rushed after him, grabbing the disoriented boy's collar.

"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, UMINO!!!!!" Usagi screamed, and she unleashed slap after slap to the boy's face. "How could you?!?!?!"

An indeterminate time later, Usagi finally saw that Umino was unconscious, and she stopped hitting him. The boy's face was a mass of bruises, and in several places, Usagi's nails had actually cut him. However, Usagi could feel no remorse for her actions.

Deciding to leave Umino there, the blonde girl glanced at the clock. 'One o'clock,' she thought, worry tingling in her mental voice. 'And it sounds like the others are getting worse. I have to get out of here.'

With the decision made, Usagi headed for the front entrance of the school, confident that the teachers wouldn't worry about one student playing hooky when the rest of the class was rioting.

--------------------------------

Nephrite opened the door to the furniture store and looked around, seeking something that fit his style. Almost immediately, a saleswoman approached him, and he said, "I'm looking for a living room set in black leather and two bedroom sets in dark wood."

Nodding at his request, she lead Nephrite to several living room sets that fit his description, but the dark general was not satisfied until the third one. Three torchieres lit the scene in a dim, indirect manner, and the sofa, love seat, and recliner combination were upholstered in soft, black suede. The end tables and coffee table were black iron with black-with-silver-rivulet marble tops, and finally, there was a modern-styled entertainment center made with wrought iron, glass, and black-stained hard wood.

Telling the sales lady that this was exactly what he had in mind, she noted the reference number and replied, "Then shall we move on to the bedroom sets?"

Nodding to the woman, she led him directly to exactly what he was looking for. 'She's very good at her work if she can infer what I would like from a single selection,' Nephrite thought with no small amount of approval. 'She might even be able to serve in the Queen's court if she could keep up this success rate.'

The set she led him to was all oak, stained so dark that it was almost black. Double beds with black silk sheets and a black comforter may not have been very traditional in Japan, but they were certainly well within Nephrite's liking. The matching nightstands used the same marble as the coffee table in the living room set, and the armoire was gracefully carved without being gaudy.

"Perfect," he told her. "I would like to order one set of the living room and two of the bedroom."

The saleswoman quickly and efficiently collected Nephrite's information and his payment, as well as the rather sizable tip he offered her, and she assured him that the furniture would be delivered in the next day or two. With that, Nephrite thanked her and left the store, intent on returning to the Dark Kingdom for some supplies.

--------------------------------

Luna was despairing of ever convincing Shingo to like her, and this increasingly fueled her desperation. Unfortunately, Luna plus desperation generally leaves out logic, and when she heard the school bell ring, releasing the students from their classes, Luna scrambled from her hiding place and up into a tree overhanging the walk. Crouching there, she kept watch for Shingo, intent on proving herself a lovable little kitty...even if it killed him.

As the students milled about, talking and playing, Luna finally spotted the youngest Tsukino exiting the school building along with that same friend, Mika. The black cat readied herself to pounce, and just as Shingo passed under the limb where she waited, she dropped onto his shoulder...

--------------------------------

"GAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Usagi looked up at the scream only to see her little brother barreling toward her, Luna perched on his shoulder. Unfortunately, realization of this fact did not come in time to avoid a collision, and the siblings fell to the ground. Usagi snatched Luna up from the ground and yelled, "What the heck were you doing to my cat, Shingo!?"

Just as angry as Usagi, her brother shot back, "I didn't do nothin' to that stupid cat! She's been following me around all day tryin' ta pounce on me!"

Losing a bit of her anger, Usagi looked down at Luna...who was doing her level best to look cute and innocent. Of course, that only made her look like the cat that ate the canary. Seeing this, Usagi sighed. "Alright, Shingo," she said in a resigned voice. "I came here to pick you up and offer you a deal. I'll buy you a pet if you'll let me keep Luna."

Shingo looked suspiciously at his sister, but before he could voice any problems with the deal, Mika's voice came from behind him. "Oh, Shingo-kun," she said brightly. "That means you can get a Shaneera, just like me! Come on; let's go to the pet store now!"

Usagi scratched her head at the rather one sided conversation, but when Mika grabbed her little brother's arm and started dragging him in the direction of the pet store, she had no choice but to follow. Along the way, Usagi happened to see Osa-P, the front entrance still closed off by police tape. 'Oh yeah,' she thought. 'I need to go visit Naru today, too.'

Another two blocks past Osa-P, Mika pulled Shingo into a store, and Usagi had to run so that she wouldn't lose them. Inside the store, several people were looking at the Shaneera, small fuzz balls with big, cute eyes, but the real attractor was the scent. Each Shaneera put off its own distinctive scent, like a natural perfume, and Usagi thought it all smelled wonderful.

Walking up to her brother and Mika, she said, "So itouto, is this the pet you want?"

"Hey!" Shingo returned, obviously still annoyed at her because of Luna. "Back off! I'll tell ya when I find the one I want."

Usagi would have made warding gestures if she hadn't been holding Luna, and the blonde teenager backed off all the same. It wouldn't do to get Shingo even more upset with her when she was trying to get something from him. While she waited for his decision, Usagi tuned out the voices in the store and started looking at the Shaneera. She had to admit that they were pretty cute, but she would much rather have Luna. A tug at her arm brought Usagi back from her thoughts.

"Are you totally zoned out, now, or what, odongo atama?"

Usagi whirled, and expecting to see Shingo there, she almost tripped when she saw Chiba Mamoru standing there, looking at her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Usagi asked indignantly.

Ignoring her question, Mamoru said, "Are you going to buy a Shaneera, too?"

"Not for myself, no," she answered with eyes narrowed at his semi-civilized question. "Why do you want to know?"

Mamoru shrugged elaborately and replied derisively, "The scent of perfume doesn't suit you."

The odangoed teen was practically growling as he walked away, and Usagi thought, 'That guy makes me sooo mad!'

Usagi almost went after Mamoru to give him a little piece of her mind, but a tug at her arm stopped her. Turning her annoyance on the newcomer, she almost shouted at Shingo and Mika, each holding a Shaneera.

"So," said Shingo, raising an eyebrow. "Are you still going to buy me the Shaneera?"

Letting go of her annoyance for the moment, Usagi smiled. If she bought Shingo his pet, then he would have agreed to her deal. Smiling, the ponytailed girl replied, "Sure thing, itouto."

Mika followed them to the counter, and she bought her own Shaneera right after them. Both kids couldn't seem to take their eyes off of their new Shaneera, and Usagi thought, 'Oh, that's so cute! They just love their new pets!'

As they exited the store, Usagi spoke to Shingo. "I need to go by the hospital and visit Naru, so you go on home and tell Mom where I am."

"I'm not your personal messenger service, Usagi," the brown-haired boy returned hotly.

"Come on, Shingo!" Usagi replied, equally as hot. "It's not that hard!"

After a second more of defiance, Shingo gave in, saying, "Oh, alright," and Usagi set off toward the hospital.

--------------------------------

Ranma practically raced from the classroom to the gates, extremely happy that the school day was over. As he reached the gates, however, he heard someone shout his name.

"Ranma!" called Unazuki. "Hey, wait up!"

Doing as she asked, Ranma leaned against the gatepost and put his hands behind his head and affecting a bored expression. When the exuberant redhead finally caught up, she was out of breath from running, but she was still smiling.

"Hey Ranma," she said. "Today's one of my days off from the Parlor; do you want to go do something?"

"Umm," replied Ranma, looking down and somewhat stumped about why this girl was hanging around him so much. "Well, I was going to buy some new outfits; I think you've already seen every piece of clothing I own."

When he looked back up, he couldn't understand why Unazuki was blushing, so he just continued. "I mean, you don't have ta come if ya don't wanna."

"No, no!" Unazuki answered quickly. "Let's go!"

Then, suiting action to words, she took his arm and started walking, and he had very little choice but to follow.

--------------------------------

Arriving at the hospital, Usagi walked up to the front desk and inquired about Naru.

"Osaka Naru?" the nurse asked rhetorically. "She's stable, in room four twenty one."

Thanking the nurse, Usagi quickly walked to the elevator, and when the car arrived, she punched the button for the fourth floor. As the elevator car sped upward, Usagi had the chance to finally talk to Luna alone, and quickly snagging the little black cat from her school bag, she said, "Luna, what the heck did you do to Shingo?"

Luna had the good sense to look abashed, but her reply was puzzled. "I only tried to get close to him and make friends, like you suggested."

Usagi just looked at Luna like she was dumb, but a moment later the expression faded back to neutrality. "Luna," she said in a hushed voice. "Something really bad was going on back at my school; that's why I left early. Umino came to school acting really weird, and by the time I left, most of my class was practically rioting! I just don't know what happened."

Luna's ears twitched as though searching for a faint sound, and then an expression of alarm graced her face. "Usagi! I sense a great deal of negative energy coming from the direction of your school!"

"But," Usagi replied, starting to cry. "There wasn't any big monster there, just a bunch of kids messing the place up!"

"Still, you could have transformed and kept the peace, right?"

"No!" Usagi really was crying now. "My transformation brooch was gone when I woke up this morning! If you weren't here, I would have thought it was all a dream!"

"Look out, Usagi," said Luna as she ducked back into the bag. "The doors are opening!"

Usagi stood quickly, but if anyone had noticed her crouching position in the elevator, they made no sign of it. Putting the possible incident out of her mind, the fuku-clad girl walked over to the nurse station and asked, "Could you point me in the direction of room four twenty one?"

The busy nurse attendant pointed down the hall to the right without speaking, and after a quick "Arigatou," Usagi sped down the hall to her friend's room. At the door, she heard two voices speaking inside.

"Mizuno-sensei," came the voice of Naru, the pain still noticeable in her voice. "Have they found my mother yet?"

The doctor's voice was that of a woman in her mid-thirties. "I'm sorry I can't give you any good news, Naru-chan, but you can't give up hope. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Alright," Naru replied, and the doctor almost ran into Usagi on her way out of the room.

"Oh," she said as she placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder to steady both of them. "Sumimasen. Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you," the ponytailed girl replied. "I'm just here to see Naru-chan."

Mizuno-sensei was about ten centimeters taller than Usagi with short, wavy blue-black hair and caring blue eyes. Her smile was open and friendly, if a bit on the busy side. "I'm glad someone has finally come to visit Naru-chan," she said briskly. "We haven't yet found any relatives yet, so any help you might be able to give would be appreciated. I'm sorry that I don't have more time to speak with you, but I have two other patients waiting for me. Please excuse me."

With that, Mizuno-sensei walked around Usagi, off to care for her other patients, and a much more somber Usagi stepped into Naru's room. When the auburn-haired girl in the hospital bed saw her long-time friend, Usagi could see that she was very depressed, and the blonde teen immediately tried to put more cheer into her expression.

"Stop it, Usagi-chan," groused Naru, though she almost laughed. "You look really funny when you're trying to hide how you're feeling."

Letting her expression fall back into its morose posture, Usagi still managed a wan smile for her friend. "So what are the doctors saying?"

"My leg and three ribs are broken," replied Naru. "But that's the worst of it. They want to keep me here for another day or two for observation, but after that I can go home...if they find my mother."

A sudden stab of guilt impaled Usagi through the heart hearing her friend suffering since that self-same girl was the cause of Naru's pain. 'How can I tell her that I killed her mother because she became a youma...?' thought Usagi. 'What kind of friend AM I?!'

"Usagi-chan?" Naru's voice was filled with concern for her apparently unresponsive friend, and Usagi shook her head, at least temporarily clearing her mind of guilt and remorse.

"I'm alright, Naru-chan," Usagi replied. "Let me tell you what happened at school today. You won't believe it!"

--------------------------------

Sitting in a booth at the Crown Parlor across from Unazuki, Ranma contentedly sipped on a vanilla milkshake, the purchases of the day next to him and dinner in his stomach. While the pigtailed negawarrior would have been happy to pay for them to go to a restaurant, Unazuki had insisted on coming here since she could get the meal free, and Genma had always taught Ranma to respect free stuff.

The shopping trip that Ranma had intended was a quick half hour in a Chinese clothing store to pick up a few more outfits, maybe some of other colors. However, by bringing Unazuki with him, the trip had instead taken the entire afternoon, and by the time they left the last shop the ponytailed redhead wanted to visit, it was already six o'clock.

Walking the distance from that last shop to the Crown Parlor, Ranma had noticed a surprising lack of people on the streets, and when he activated his negaforce sensory constructs, he noted a large construct, seemingly made from spider silk, invisibly winding through the streets and attaching to various pedestrians. Almost instinctively, he formed a simple shield construct around Unazuki and himself to ward against the large construct's effects, but he couldn't begin to guess at the huge gossamer monstrosity's purpose. Deciding that he and his friend were safe, what ever it did, he wouldn't get involved if he could help it. Those were Nephrite's orders, after all.

When they reached the Crown Game Center, Unazuki introduced him to her older brother, Motoki, but she hadn't given them much time to chat before hustling Ranma up to the Parlor. Ranma had a triple cheeseburger plate again, and Unazuki ordered a caesar salad.

Now, with dinner eaten, the two teens sat in a companionable silence as they drank the last of their shakes. Ranma, for his part, was somewhat distracted by the movement of the giant construct still growing around them, and several times Unazuki had to repeat questions to him. Finally, Unazuki asked in a somewhat exasperated voice, "What is it, Ranma? You keep spacing out!"

"I'm sorry, Unazuki," he replied. "I just keep thinking that I'm forgetting something, but I can't place it...."

The attractive redhead put a finger to her lips in thought for a moment, then exclaimed, "Oh no! We have a paper due tomorrow! We're both going to have to get to work on that one. I'd love to stay and chat, but my parents'll kill me if I don't keep my grades up. I'm sorry, Ranma."

"Don't worry about it," replied the teenage negawarrior, smiling. "I should probably get home and work on it myself. I'll see you tomorrow."

Unazuki smiled back and said, "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow in class."

With that, Ranma headed down the stairs and outside, but when he reached the sidewalk, the pigtailed teen did not turn toward his apartment. Instead, he began to trace the huge, web-like construct back to its source, maintaining the shield on Unazuki as long as he could.

--------------------------------

As Usagi left the hospital, the thought that she had killed her friend's mother had her almost to the point of vomiting with guilt and grief, and tears fell liberally from her eyes. Getting out of sight of the hospital, the ponytailed teen sat down on a secluded park bench and wept. A few moments after she really started sobbing, she felt Luna nuzzle her forehead and say, "What's wrong, Usagi? Your friend will be alright, at least from what I heard."

Usagi's voice was barely intelligible through her crying, but reply she did. "B—but I—I…I k—killed Naru's mo—mo..."

"What are you talking about, Usagi?" Luna said, sounding aghast. "You didn't kill Naru's mother! That was a youma of the Dark Kingdom, not a human!"

In disbelief, Usagi stared through Luna, eyes glazed, and the cat proceeded to paw her nose to get the girl's attention. "I mean it, Usagi!" Luna continued. "Yes, the Dark Kingdom has youma that can possess others, but that was not one of them! That youma was PRETENDING to be Naru's mother, so her real mother is somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?" asked Usagi in a small voice, but it grew in strength as she spoke. "I'm sooo glad I didn't kill Naru-chan's mother, but we still have to find her! Do you have any idea where she could be?"

"I'll ask central to try to locate her," Luna replied. "But right now, we have bigger problems. Like I was trying to tell you in the elevator, there is a huge amount of negative energy in the air, and it's grown to almost double since we last talked! The city needs Sailor Moon, and your transformation brooch is at home."

Just then, three people ran past the bench, screaming. Usagi and Luna looked in the direction they came from, and were surprised by a massive number of people, rioting in the street. At their head, the figure of a boy wearing thick glasses was leading them into the park, a boy wearing a very familiar suit.

"Do you know where my brooch is, Luna?" Usagi asked, suddenly showing her newfound business-like attitude in the face of a crisis. "And can you track me?"

"Yes," Luna replied. "To both questions. What do you have in mind?"

"I just saw someone I think will lead me to the source of the negative energy," Usagi continued, "but I'll lose him if I go home for my brooch. You get it and track me down. I'll be waiting."

Usagi was about to run off when she heard "Wait a moment, Usagi!" from behind, and she turned slightly to see what Luna had in mind. Similar to how she produced the brooch, Luna once again did a rather impressive double-flip maneuver, and at the apex of the jump, a small object shaped like a pen fell to the ground. Picking the object up off the ground, the small cat dropped it into Usagi's hand.

"That's the disguise wand," she said, almost breathless. "To use it, envision what you want to look like and say 'Disguise Power.' It should help you trail that boy without being recognized."

Nodding once, Usagi pocketed the wand and turned away; she couldn't even hear the cat leave over the sound of the approaching rioters. 'Now that's not something I want to get caught up in,' the blonde thought, and after a moment of watching them, she formed an image of unremarkable clothing and short black hair to confuse anyone who knew her. With the image firmly formed within her mind, she reached into her pocket and whispered "disguise power."

Unlike her Sailor transformation, the disguise pen had no explosion of power and light, nor did she feel her clothes disintegrate. Instead, all she felt was a strange ripple move across her body, and a moment later, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a storefront in the light of the setting sun. 'Wow,' the now black-haired girl thought, amazed even though she expected it to work. 'That worked pretty well.'

Turning away, she unobtrusively joined the body of rioters, careful to keep Umino in sight at all times.

--------------------------------

As Ranma walked, he studied the web construct above him, and slowly, he began to figure out its purpose. It was only so complex-looking because it was so big; the bigger the construct, the more of what he dubbed 'structure threads' were necessary to hold it together. Beyond this, there were three much simpler constructs repeated over and over throughout the construct, and while Ranma would have hated to power a construct of that size, the smaller constructs would be easy now that he saw how they were formed.

The first construct, the sticky part of the web, was how it attached to people's minds and ki patterns, and it was what Ranma was actually blocking with his instinctual shield construct. Once attached, the second construct would influence people toward anger, rage, destructive behavior, and a lack of inhibitions, and that part explained all the shouting from two blocks over. Finally, the third construct was a variant on one that Nephrite had taught him to harvest ki. All in all, it was a pretty good way to harvest a lot of ki from a lot people at once, especially with the high level of emotion causing the victims to pump out more of the energy than usual, but there were problems with the idea. The rioting, for example.

Ranma carefully skirted the edge of the fighting, and he could see that the police didn't seem to be able to stop it. The pigtailed negawarrior was only glad that the rioters were still at least a kilometer from his apartment building and the Crown center, and they were moving away from those locations.

Reading the construct patterns, it appeared that there were several 'centers' to this web, and while five of them were in the body of the rioters, two others were somewhere else. However, six of the seven centers were moving toward the last, and that one was staying still. In light of that, Ranma decided that it must be the real center, the origin. Content to watch the carnage without getting involved, Ranma stayed on the rooftops at the outskirts of the crowd and followed, waiting to see the mastermind behind the web.

--------------------------------

Luna raced into the Tsukino house and up the stairs, intent on getting Usagi's transformation brooch from the girl's room. The small black cat was somewhat annoyed with herself for not remembering about the brooch earlier, but that was past now. Behind the thin barrier of the disguise wand, Usagi had no weapons and no armor against what ever youma or dark general was causing the riot, and without her Senshi transformation, she was as vulnerable as any other human out there.

As she skidded to a halt in Usagi's room, Luna cursed the memory fragmentation caused by her stasis cell once more. She knew that the Senshi magic was more potent than a simple transformation spell, but she didn't know how to teach Usagi what she needed to know to make use of that power. If she could, assuming that these memories were uncorrupted, then the transformation object would work more like a disguise tool rather than a power up, keeping others from realizing Sailor Moon was Usagi rather than the other way around.

Snatching up the brooch from underneath her charge's nightstand, Luna ran back out of the door, but a strange smell coming from Shingo's room brought her to a halt. As she peered inside, she saw her charge's younger brother sitting at his desk, staring at his new little Shaneera. If there had been any movement, anything to indicate that he was doing more than staring into its eyes lifelessly, she would have moved on immediately, but there was nothing, no sign that he was actually treating it like a pet. It was almost as though he were mesmerized.

Shaking her head, Luna decided that it had to wait. Casting a location spell, Luna got a moving fix on Usagi, and the little cat took off toward her charge at top speed. Usagi was facing a couple hundred rioters and at least one youma out there, and if she didn't get her brooch soon, that story would have a very tragic ending.

--------------------------------

Usagi made sure to stay on the far side of the crowd from where the police were attempting to reduce the damage, but it was difficult as more police were arriving by the minute. If she were stuck in the crowd when the officers decided enough was enough, she would be taken down like all the others.

The worst part about walking through this crowd was the sense that they truly were innocents in this. Something was influencing them, making them give in to their darker desires, and thankfully, it had yet to touch her.

The sounds of the riot were harsh on the teenage girl's ears, and she could barely hear the officers' orders over the shouting, breaking glass, and fighting. Taking a look around, Usagi could see that most of the damage was cosmetic: broken windows and smashed doors. However, at least two storefronts had smoke pouring from their shattered front windows, and the teen could see the red hints of a starting fire deep within.

At one point, she almost lost track of Umino, and when she saw him again, he was stealing down an alley, away from the main body of rioters. Deciding that it was pointless to stick around, she took off after him. A quick glance behind told her why Umino had decided that now was a good time to leave: the police were bringing the heavy end of the hammer down on the rioters, and between the tear gas and the fire hoses, it wasn't a pretty sight. Resolving to worry about the crowd later, she continued to follow her own quarry.

Without the crowd surrounding him, Umino moved with much more caution than before, and a couple of times she thought he'd spotted her. Nevertheless, she continued to follow, and eventually, she recognized the Tenth Street Park where the ward's newest fortuneteller resided, at least according to Naru. Sure enough, Umino disappeared into the wagon sitting in the park, and Usagi settled in to wait for Luna, hiding in some bushes.

--------------------------------

When the police decided enough was enough and came down hard on the rioters, Ranma moved away on the rooftops. He could still see the web, and since the 'centers' back in the crowd were winking out one by one, he could pretty well ignore them for the other two. 'Wait a minute,' he thought after making another assessment of the web as a whole. 'One of those centers in the crowd was smart enough to get away. Maybe that's the true center, and the one that isn't moving was injured or something.'

Shrugging, Ranma continued toward the immobile center, knowing that it didn't matter since he was going to the same place that all three of the others were headed. He even made better time to the unmoving center than any of the others, traveling over the rooftops as he was.

When he arrived at the site of the immobile center, what he saw almost made him laugh. 'What the heck is a gypsy wagon doing in Japan?' he asked himself incredulously, but there was no denying it. Right out of eastern European and Russian folklore, a brightly painted wagon sat, big as life, in the park on Tenth Street, and that was the destination for the other centers.

Though the pigtailed negawarrior was ready to spend some time studying the huge construct in greater detail, it seemed that the action would not wait. The first to arrive was a boy in a mussed and torn suit and wearing thick glasses, and not far behind him, there was a black-haired girl wearing torn jeans and a halter-top. The boy ran immediately up to the wagon and entered, but the girl ducked down behind some bushes near the wagon. Since he could still see the construct, Ranma knew that she was not one of the centers.

Another two minutes later, the last center arrived, a girl of sixteen or so with long, dark red hair and wearing a strapless leather dress. So intent was Ranma in watching the patterns of the shifting constructs as the centers merged that he lost sight of the first girl, but then, he had the perfect vantage point to see Sailor Moon's entrance.

--------------------------------

As a small black shape approached, Usagi moved away from her impromptu hiding place, her mind focused on what she had seen. First, Umino had entered the wagon, and then a young woman with long red hair. Without a doubt, this was the origin of the dark forces that assailed her ward.

A moment later, she rendezvoused with Luna at the edge of an alley, catching the cat in mid leap and carrying her into the shadows. "You got it?" she asked anxiously.

As Usagi saw Luna's mouth was full of brooch, she easily accepted the rapid nod of the cat's head, and a moment later, Luna dropped the brooch into her hand. With a murmured "Thanks, Luna," Usagi raised the brooch and called out, "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

An eruption of light and energy caused her disguise to evaporate, and the still unusual sensation of her clothing disintegrating enveloped her just before the power. As before, she spun with the power, and the attire of Sailor Moon formed on her body as the soldier's thoughts suffused her mind. As the transformation ended, the Senshi of the Moon charged forth from the alley in full force, her mentor silently cheering from behind.

--------------------------------

Umino watched, a cruel smirk on his face, as the fortuneteller opened a strange dark rift within the wagon. Without hesitation, the woman with the dark red hair and the black crystal bracelet jumped through the portal, and he was about to follow when the roof of the wagon was sheered from the walls.

"AAAHHH!!" screamed the suit-clad boy as he threw himself to the ground, and the fortuneteller grew from the stature of a short woman into a three meter tall conglomeration of woman and snake, the rift closing before the transformation was complete.

--------------------------------

Ranma watched as Sailor Moon snagged her tiara from the air as it returned, and the pigtailed teen's respect for Tokyo's newest devil hunter rose a couple of notches. 'Wow,' he thought, impressed at the display of power. 'She took the entire roof off of the wagon with one attack. If I saw it right, that wasn't the same attack she used on that woman yesterday. There's more to this girl than I thought.'

Before he could further assess Moon's combat potential, a three-meter-tall, half-snake half-woman suddenly rose from the wreckage of the wagon and faced off against the blonde superhero. With equal suddenness, the vast web of the construct retracted into the creature faster than Ranma would have imagined, and only a thin thread still connecting the beast with the hapless young man cowering in the wreckage of the wagon.

"I fight for love and justice," the blonde Senshi called out to the monster. "I'm Sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

'Where does she get her lines?' Ranma thought in disgust, but then there was no more time to be embarrassed by extension. The fight had begun.

--------------------------------

Not even bothering to wonder where her words actually came from, Sailor Moon announced her presence to the enemy, and before consciously thinking about it, she was moving. The youma lashed out with two black beams of energy, but the Senshi was already gone, ducking close and landing a hard knife-hand to the youma's side.

As the creature screamed, it materialized a huge, wickedly curved sword and slashed at the Moon Senshi. Dodging the initial slash, the pigtailed Sailor tried to close again, and the snake woman's sword caught her on the back swing, opening a long cut on her forearm and sending her flying into a nearby tree.

The Senshi of the Moon screamed in pain from the injury, but she didn't slow down. Dropping from the trunk of the tree and racing forward again, she dodged the youma's sword, but before she could land a blow, the creature's other fist slammed into her gut, throwing her back into the tree. Tears leaked from her eyes at the pain, and the youma advanced for the kill.

Suddenly, a rose as red as blood slashed through the air to lodge itself in the youma's sword arm, causing the youma to drop its blade. For the first time, the creature spoke, its voice inhuman and cold, "Who the hell are you?!"

"Sailor Moon!" came the voice of Tuxedo Kamen from one of the nearby rooftops. "Never forget what you are fighting for!"

Nodding unconsciously at Kamen's words, Moon rose from the base of the tree and attacked. Racing forward and dodging another punch, Moon caught the youma with a side kick hard enough to crack its energy shield and send the creature flying, and then the moment came. Without hesitation, she pulled off her tiara, and even as the creature was about to slam into a tree halfway across the park, she let her tiara fly with a cry of "Moon Tiara Action!"

--------------------------------

Once again, Ranma was captivated by the sheer brutality of Sailor Moon's final attack, and he watched in morbid fascination as it did its work, absorbing every grisly detail via his sensory constructs. Before the creature could actually strike the tree, the tiara penetrated its shield and created the ki conduit, just like the last time. Even as the living creature was transformed into grey dust, its body hit the tree, creating a massive cloud in spectacular fashion. So captivated by the sight was Ranma that he missed Sailor Moon's exit, and he never saw that other guy at all.

Shrugging, Ranma decided that it was about time for him to head home, anyway, and roof hoping was definitely the fastest way. Leaping from roof to roof across the skyline of Juuban, the young negawarrior reflected on everything he had seen in the evening. Focusing on the constructs, Ranma decided that he needed to pay very careful attention to any constructs he saw, and he especially wished that he'd seen the materialization construct the creature had used to form its sword.

Making sure that he remembered every line of the constructs he did manage to study, Ranma stopped briefly to recreate the 'sticky' part of the web using his own energy, but he wasn't certain he succeeded at it without testing it. However, the pigtailed negawarrior had no intention of doing so tonight.

Finally reaching his building, Ranma quickly rode the elevator to his floor and made his way to his apartment. Once inside, he finally put down the two bags of clothes he'd bought earlier in the day and sat down against the wall. It was only then that he realized that he was not alone.

"Looks like you've had a long day," said Nephrite, tossing Ranma a soda. "School ended quite a while ago."

"Yeah," the apprentice replied in a weary tone, popping the top of the can and taking a long swig of the sweet, fizzy drink. "Between a new friend and a riot, it's definitely been a long day. And I still have some homework to do."

"A riot, huh," Nephrite said, raising an eyebrow. "Remember my warning Ranma. Don't get involved in any battles where you sense mana or negaforce being used, by either side. You're not ready for a fight like that."

Ranma chuckled, but it wasn't an amused sound. "How could I forget all the times you beat me in China? I'll remember."

"I also have another warning for you," continued Nephrite. "While I was in the Dark Kingdom, I learned that energy harvesting operations are already underway in this city, probably even in this ward."

"That makes sense, considering that a construct caused the riot," Ranma replied, much to Nephrite's surprise. "I even figured out how that thing worked."

Of course, Nephrite never stayed surprised for long, and he wiped his face clear of emotion quickly enough that Ranma thought he might have imagined it in the first place. "Well, it's good that you learned something new," Nephrite said. "I still have some business to take care of in the Dark Kingdom, so I'll be gone for another day or two. In the mean time, read this and try some of the constructs in it."

So saying, Nephrite tossed a fairly thick, hardbound book to Ranma, the title reading "Basic Shield and Combat Constructs." The younger negawarrior flipped through a couple of pages and decided that he could easily treat this like a martial arts manual: certainly not as good as learning from a person, but usable in a teacher's absence. A moment later, he nodded to his instructor. "Alright," he said confidently. "I'll see you in a couple of days."

Nephrite turned toward the door, but just before opening it, he said, "Oh, I stocked the fridge and ordered some furniture, Ranma. It should be delivered tomorrow or the next day."

"'kay," Ranma replied, waving over his shoulder as he turned toward the hall. "I'll be expecting it, then."

The pigtailed apprentice heard the door open and close as Nephrite exited the apartment, and Ranma left a trail of dirty clothes leading to the bathroom, eager for a relaxing shower after a long day.

--------------------------------

Sailor Moon sat in the alley, wincing as the Senshi regenerative magic went to work on her bruised ribs and the long laceration on her forearm. 'Another monster dead,' she thought with muted satisfaction, 'but at what cost?'

Hundreds of rioters, innocents but for the influence of the negative energy, were injured and arrested, and there was so much property damage back there. It was a melancholy victory if for no other reason than that she was unable to prevent the collateral damage.

"Great job, Sailor Moon!" Luna congratulated. "You won another battle."

"Luna..." the ponytailed superhero whispered. "Was there any way that we could have stopped that riot? Is there some way that we can stop them before they hurt so many people and do so much damage?"

The small cat's face scrunched up in a thoughtful expression, but when she spoke her voice was definitely in the negative. "I don't think so, Sailor Moon. Central gives me as much warning as it can, but our capabilities are very limited. There are more Senshi out there, waiting for us to discover them. Please keep your hope alive."

Smiling bravely, Moon replied, "I will Luna. Let's head home."

Suiting action to words, the Senshi of the Moon stood and began her slow walk toward home.

--------------------------------

With the combatants gone, the battlefield of Tenth Street Park was quiet for nearly ten minutes before a low moan sounded from the wreckage. Slowly, painfully, a hand appeared from the rubble of the gypsy wagon, and after some scrabbling at the debris, an arm, torso, and head followed. Gurio Umino slowly rose from the wreckage, covered in dirt, splinters, and bruises.

"What happened?" he half whispered, half moaned. "I feel awful, and I can't remember anything since this morning."

As he moved, sounds escaped his lips. Moans, whimpers, and hisses from the various pressures on his bruises filled the air, and after finally clearing himself from the debris, he sat down against a tree, breathing hard from the pain.

'I don't understand why I'm here...' he thought, desperately trying to remember what had happened. 'I got out of bed this morning, took a shower, and—'

Umino gasped, and the events of the day came rushing into his mind all at once.

'I—I stripped Haruna-sensei nude?! I started a RIOT!?!' he thought in disbelief. 'How could I do things like that??'

A few tears leaked from his eyes as he remembered forcing a kiss on Usagi, and he knew that he owed her more than an apology. 'I have to make this up to Usagi-san somehow!' he thought desperately. 'I just have to figure out how.'

Carefully and painfully, Umino levered himself to a standing position and began his long, lonely, and achingly slow trek home, his thoughts never leaving the subject of restitution for Usagi.

--------------------------------

By the time Sailor Moon reached the Tsukino home, the long slash on her forearm had healed to a thin white line, and the swelling in her ribs had vanished. It was still somewhat painful to move, but it was something she could manage in her untransformed state. In the bushes outside the front door, her fingers explored the edges of her transformation brooch, and a moment later, her body was wrapped in red ribbons of energy. When they receded, Usagi was sitting on the ground wearing her school uniform.

Sighing, then wincing from the action, the ponytailed girl slowly rose from the bushes, her small black cat peeking out from her school bag. Usagi had never felt this tired before, and her aim was to do nothing but fall into bed and sleep for a week. As she entered the house, the familiar sight of her mother waiting for her greeted her eyes, but the expression was not Ikuko's normal anger at late arrivals.

"Usagi!" the Tsukino matriarch cried, rushing forward and embracing her daughter. "I was so worried about you, sweetheart! They were saying on the news that there was a riot, and I thought you might have been caught by the rioters!"

Usagi managed to keep from wincing as her mother put pressure on her ribs, but her voice was weak as she replied, "No Okaasan, I'm fine. I hid when I saw what was happening, so that's why I'm late."

"I'm so glad you're safe, Usagi-chan," her mother continued. "Would you like some dinner?"

"Actually, Okaasan," Usagi answered. "I'm really really tired. Can I just go to bed?"

Ikuko smiled indulgently and said, "Of course dear, but I'll put your plate in the fridge in case you get hungry later."

"Thanks, Okaasan," Usagi managed a weak smile for her mother before heading for the stairs. "Oyasumi nasai."

"Oyasumi, Usagi-chan," she heard Ikuko reply.

The Tsukino daughter really was bone weary, but as she reached the top of the stairs, a voice sounded out of her school bag. "Usagi," said Luna. "I just remembered something I saw when I came here for your brooch. You really should look in on Shingo before you go to bed."

Usagi looked at her adviser like the cat had just said the most horrible thing imaginable, feeling betrayed, but she asked anyway. "Why?"

Luna cringed at Usagi's look, but she continued anyway. "He looked like he was mesmerized by that Shaneera you bought him earlier today. I think something is really wrong."

Almost ready to cry from fatigue, Usagi nonetheless headed not for her own room and welcoming bed, but for her brother's room. Knocking on the door, the elder Tsukino sibling called out, "Shingo? Can I come in?"

When no answer came from within, Usagi knocked once more, and this time she struck with enough force to slowly swing the door open. Through the now open door, Usagi saw that Shingo was sitting at his desk, eyes glazed, staring into the eyes of his Shaneera. Gasping at his vacant look, Usagi advanced into the room.

'I've got to get that thing away from him!' she thought, alarmed, but when she reached out to grab the Shaneera, an iron-hard grip caught her wrist. Tracing the arm to her younger brother, she saw that Shingo now had a fierce look in his eyes, and he was snarling angrily.

"Shingo!" cried Usagi. "We have to get rid of it! It's trying to hurt you!"

Adrenaline shot through Usagi's body as the youngest Tsukino tightened his grip on her arm and shouted back, "NO!!"

Reacting to his anger and the pain of his grip, Usagi tore her hand free and went, again, for the Shaneera with her left hand. Shingo once again caught her hand before she could snag the aromatic pet, this time with both hands, and Usagi yelled, "Snap out of it, Shingo!"

The younger Tsukino child only replied with a growl, and suddenly all the stress was too much for Usagi. Rearing back her right hand, she left Shingo lying on the floor, the red imprint of her right hand gracing his left cheek. The boy stared up at his sister, eyes wide in shock; a shock that Usagi knew was mirrored in her own eyes. Falling to her knees, she desperately spoke, "I'm sorry, Shingo. I'm so sorry, itouto!"

The boy gasped as she came within arms reach, and then, at top speed, he stood, grabbed the Shaneera, and ran out of the room. Tears in her eyes at her actions and what had been done to her brother, Usagi raced after him, hoping that she could help him before what ever was controlling him could hurt him any more.

--------------------------------

Having finished his school paper, Ranma was relaxing on his bedroll, looking at the book Nephrite had given him before returning to the Dark Kingdom. The first chapter had been an introduction to making constructs quickly enough for battle, and the pigtailed negawarrior was able to liken it to some of the ki manipulation techniques he'd learned from his father. The other enlightening item in the introduction was the identity of the book's author, Nephrite himself. As Ranma hungrily absorbed the information, he munched on a rice cake and sipped a soda from the freshly stocked pantry and refrigerator.

Moving on to the second chapter, he recognized a variant on the pattern he'd instinctively formed to keep the web construct from touching him or Unazuki, but this form was more powerful. Knowing he needed to get to sleep soon, Ranma decided to thumb through the book a little more rather than reading it verbatim.

The third chapter went over energy barriers that were solid enough to stop matter, and the fourth described shields against mana-based magic. The fifth chapter, like a capstone for the description of shields, analyzed how to synthesize the various forms of shields for overall protection.

Moving on to the sixth chapter, Ranma recognized the effects of the first attack described as one Nephrite had used on him before he'd been inducted. The raw infusion of negaforce into a life form created an explosion by annihilating with the target's lifeforce, a powerful and dangerous attack, to both victim and user.

The former martial artist was yawning as he thumbed to the seventh chapter, and he decided that any further insights would be lost on his fatigue-fogged brain. Setting the book down, he flicked off the light and got into his bedroll, sleep rolling over him almost immediately.

--------------------------------

Usagi watched Shingo run into the pet store where she had bought him the Shaneera, and an icy premonition settled into her gut. Swerving into a nearby alley, she activated her transformation for the second time in one day, and Sailor Moon raced out of the alley toward the pet store.

Heedless of the now locked door, the Senshi of the Moon plowed into the store amid splintering wood and breaking glass, but she was not prepared for the sight before her. At least fifteen children, Shingo and Mika among them, and another five teens and adults stood around the room, all with the same glazed look that her brother had had while he was staring at his Shaneera. Near the back of the room, a strange conglomeration of woman and spider was directing the older humans into a roiling black rift, and before Sailor Moon could even speak, three more of them disappeared into the inky depths.

"NOO!!" the superhero cried, getting the youma's attention. Even so, the strange spider creature still took a moment to shove the final two teens through the rift before facing the Senshi. As the youma saw the devil hunter, her mandibles spread in an odd approximation of a cruel smile, and Sailor Moon felt fear.

"So," the youma said conversationally, an odd hiss in her voice. "You are the little bitch who's been wrecking our plans. Do you have a name?"

Pushing her fear away, Sailor Moon snarled at the beast, crying out, "I am the sailor suit beautiful soldier of love and justice! I am Sailor Moon, and I'll punish you in the name of the Moon!"

As she finished her strange speech, still trying to figure out where the corny lines came from, a strange sound filled the store, originating from the youma. It was a cross between a hiccup and a metallic hiss, but it wasn't long before Moon realized that the youma was laughing at her.

"You are so ridiculous," the spider creature said amid her laughing. "I have a hard time believing that you're really the idiot who's opposing us."

Gritting her teeth, the Senshi growled at the youma, and yelling, "I'll show you!!" she charged, pulling back her right fist for a hard punch. However, Moon found herself flying in the opposite direction of her charge, the wind knocked out of her as two of the spider youma's eight legs slammed into her gut. The Senshi of the Moon flew through the shattered door and across the street, slamming into a storefront there, and she lay on the sidewalk, holding her now more-than-bruised ribs.

"Sailor Moon!" came an insistent voice from beyond her closed eyes, and the blonde superhero managed to open her eyes to see a small cat looking fearfully at her. "You must fight back, Sailor Moon!"

"Luna..." she whispered, wincing at the pain in her chest. "I—I'll try."

Scrabbling at the cracked concrete construction of the storefront behind her, Moon slowly made her way to her feet, but the sight before her was hardly heartening. All the children, with the youma standing at the back, were moving toward her like zombies, and she didn't think they were here to help.

"Go, my slaves," hissed the youma. "Bring me her head."

A horrible feeling settled in Moon's stomach at the youma's words, and it became even worse when the children began to increase their speed. One little girl broke into a run and leapt at the teenaged superhero, latching on to her arm and biting her shoulder hard enough to draw blood. The Moon Senshi screamed and involuntarily threw the girl off, but a boy jumped at her leg and grabbed on, sinking his teeth into her thigh.

Acting on instinctual fear, Moon kicked the boy off and, scooping up Luna, she jumped over the crowd of children onto the roof of the pet store. "I can't do it Luna!" she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can't fight them!"

"Sailor Moon," replied the little advisor insistently, "you must destroy the youma. There is a technique you can use with the Moon Tiara to disrupt its control over the children, but unless you kill the youma, they will fall under its influence again! Use the Moon Tiara Stardust!"

Shoving her pain and fear aside, Sailor Moon put on a brave face and grasped her tiara. "Moon Tiara..." she began, and the tiara transformed, just like in her Moon Tiara Action attack, but she could feel some minor differences, as though the tiara was sensing her intent. "Stardust!" she finished and let the tiara fly into the center of the crowd of children. Instead of slicing through or disintegrating the kids, the tiara shattered on impact with a young girl in the center, and sparkling motes of light showered the possessed group. Almost as one, the children fell to the ground, unconscious, and Sailor Moon felt her tiara reappear on her brow,

"NOO!!!" cried the youma, but Moon was angry to the point of hatred. Jumping onto the creature's back with a wordless cry, the Senshi of the Moon thrust a spear-hand through the youma's shield and exoskeleton, eliciting a cry of agony from the creature.

"How DARE you?!" Moon screamed, and she punctuated the words by snagging one of the spider's legs and hyper-extending it with a palm-heel strike. "How DARE you take control of CHILDREN and make them FIGHT?!?!?!?!"

The follow-up to the hyperextension was a roundhouse that threw the youma through the front wall of its pet store, breaking two more of its legs. "Mercy!" it cried from within the store, but Sailor Moon had none to give it.

Lifting her tiara from her brow, she stared at the mangled spider with undisguised hatred, having no remorse for the ichor-oozing injuries she'd inflicted. "Moon Tiara Action!" she yelled, and let the tiara fly. However, when it struck the youma, the creature didn't simply fall to dust. Instead, a powerful detonation destroyed the entire pet store, and Sailor Moon nodded in satisfaction at the end as her tiara reappeared once more on her brow.

With the adrenaline of battle over, the Senshi collapsed to the ground, only her transformed state keeping her from unconsciousness. Oozing blood from several places on her body, Moon just focused on getting back her breath. As she did, Luna ran up to her and said, "Well, that was a bit brutal, but it worked. Good job, Sailor Moon!"

The Senshi just nodded to the moon cat, and then a sound caused her to look at the children. Moaning and whimpering, the children were slowly waking from unconsciousness, looking around like they didn't know where they were. Several started crying and a few actually ran off without saying anything at all, but Shingo and Mika walked over to where Moon was sitting.

"Thank you for saving us," said Shingo, a tremulous smile on his face. "Are you Sailor V?"

Moon shook her head, a gentle smile coming to her face at seeing that her brother was all right. "No, I'm Sailor Moon."

"Thank you, Sailor Moon."

--------------------------------

Nephrite looked up from his scrying circle upon hearing loud and angry cursing coming from down the hall. Standing, Nephrite left his quarters in the Dark Palace and walked the five meters to the Jadeite's rooms. Knocking, Nephrite waited for a terse greeting before entering. Jadeite was sitting in a chair in his common room, staring angrily at the remains of two shattered crystal spheres.

"So, what happened?" asked Nephrite.

Jadeite almost growled at the question, and his response came out in a grating tone. "That devil hunter bitch killed two more of my youma today. Three quarters of my initial force is dead."

"Hmm," Nephrite thought for a moment before replying. "Well, it was fairly audacious to think that you could start a riot and not get your youma killed. It would be hard not to notice a construct that fills half the ward."

"I know that!" snapped Jadeite. "That was the plan in the first place, though the youma was supposed to escape. The construct itself required most of the lifeforce it absorbed, but that was just the diversion for my real plan. That's what I'm so mad about; that moon bitch killed that youma too!"

"Really?" asked Nephrite. "Were you really totally unsuccessful?"

"Well," replied Jadeite in a less annoyed tone. "No, not actually, but that plan was supposed to gather a much larger harvesting stock. We only got fifty humans, not even a quarter of the projected numbers, and now my plan is running behind schedule."

"Relax, then," Nephrite continued in a reasonable tone. "You got the harvesting stock, and even if it isn't as much as you hoped for, a set back is not a failure. I know why you're really so upset: now you have to notify two more families that their loved ones won't be coming back."

Tossing Nephrite a wry smile, he replied, "You know me too well. Well, I had better start working up some replacement plans that take that Senshi into account. Thanks for putting things into perspective, Nephrite."

"Any time, old friend."

Leaving the room, Nephrite's pleasant façade faded into a mask of worry. If Sailor Moon was powerful enough to take down two youma, even low-powered foot soldiers, in one day, then she was certainly not inconsiderable to his own plans. She would bear both watching and much thought.

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Author's notes:

This chapter took me four months to get over writer's block and four days to actually write, if that is any indication of why it took so long. Weighing in at over 17,000 words, it is also the new heavyweight champion of my writings. Also, with this addition, Negawarrior becomes one of the few, proud fics to eclipse the 50,000 word mark, and the first of my fics to do it!

Okay, I'm certain that there will be a lot of controversial stuff for reviewers to pick apart in their reviews of this one, and the thing that comes to mind first is Usagi's behavior. Please remember, I'm writing this with her getting that same military-style mind that the outers get, so she becomes colder in crisis situations. If you want to see the clumsy, playful Usagi from canon, wait until I've brought in another Senshi or two. Until she is in more social situations besides talking to Luna, you aren't going to see her like that.

Obviously, I'm accelerating the timeline quite a bit, and that's part of what's going to make Usagi psychologically tougher. Also, it's going to push her to her limits physically. I'm going to be really hard on Usagi for a while, and we'll see how her character develops. I'm certain that she'll never be serious or super responsible, but she will be a powerful warrior.

I'm also, obviously, changing Jadeite a bit. Nephrite may be the gentlest of the dark generals, but he wouldn't have been able to survive twenty thousand years of exile in the Negaverse without at least one friend he could count on.

The one thing I never could stand about Sailor Moon was the enemy's unfailing stupidity. Send one youma after another at the scouts, hoping one will get lucky. Then, when you increase the power of a given youma, you do it just enough that the Senshi just get a little stronger to beat it, making your enemies worse. I won't have it! Jadeite capturing humans to use as harvesting stock is much more intelligent than having him just drain people out in the open. I'm going to write the Dark Kingdom as I would have run it, and I'm going to keep the mindset and limitations of it pure.

Well, if you've read this far, then thank you for reading. Later.


	11. Chapter 3 E3: Dark Leader

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

And now, for yet another installment of Shakespeare for the Fanfic Disclaimer!

Double double attorney trouble,

Authors burn and characters bubble!

Slam it with a spatula's swing,

Then the Fic it surely shall bring!

Thank you.

Note: the author apologizes for this butchering of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I (This WILL be the last one...)

Chapter Three: Dreaming in Moonlight

Episode Three: Dark Leader

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Luna looked over her charge as she slept, still in her transformed state to heal the injuries of the previous day. The blonde Senshi slept fitfully, obviously having a nightmare as she tossed and turned, and even with her transformed state's improved healing, she still bore the scars from a day of serious fighting. Luna had expected the battle to be bad, but this was well beyond what even she thought the Dark Kingdom would be capable of in such a short time.

The fortuneteller youma was bad, and the riot it caused had shut down access to several parts of the ward. Over one hundred people had been arrested due to the rioting, and the property damage was estimated to be in the millions of yen, according to the late news report Ikuko had watched.

Still, the second youma was worse, and that battle had pushed Usagi nearly to the breaking point. Between forcing those children to attack her and taking control of her brother, Moon had been badly hurt both physically and psychologically. Even though the bloody bite marks on her thigh and shoulder were nothing more than white lines and bruises now, the marks on Usagi's innocent mind were still quite fresh. 'I'll have to keep a close eye on her for the next few days,' thought the small black guardian. 'This could have further-reaching effects than I'd like.'

Sighing, the moon cat glanced at her charge's alarm clock, reading the time as three thirty in the morning. 'Well,' she thought. 'I should probably head over the communicator with central now if I'm going to be here when Usagi wakes up.'

With that thought, Luna padded over to the window, and with a deft swipe of a forepaw, she unlatched it. Nosing the window open, the black cat stole down the roof of the Tsukino residence and made her way to the street. At this time of night, little stirred in Usagi's neighborhood, and Luna had no trouble making her way through the pools of light and shadow cast by the street lamps to the small commercial area where the Crown Game Center stood.

As she approached the locked doors of the Game Center, Luna sub-vocalized the activation words for a spell she imbedded in the entryway when she set up the terminal, and with a shimmer, the lower glass on the right door vanished just long enough for her small black form to pass. Luna stole silently between the various arcade machines, seeking the one with the small addition of a crystal-matrix transceiver, and when she spotted the Sailor V game, she hopped up on the consol and again sub-vocalized an activation phrase, one to activate the transceiver's energy conversion system. The monitor on the game winked on, but nothing resembling the Sailor V game appeared on the screen.

"This is Luna, Moon Guardian, reporting in," she whispered to the blank screen. "Authorization Crescent five two three, standard report."

A voice, monotone and masculine, replied, "Authorization accepted. Please make your report, Guardian Luna."

"Matters are worse than we expected," Luna informed the machine. "In the past two days, Sailor Moon has defeated a total of three Dark Kingdom youma, and I still do not feel a lessening of negaforce use in the city. They are moving faster than we thought."

"Yes," answered the terminal in the same monotone voice. "Similar reports of increased Dark Kingdom activity are coming in from other listening posts."

When central didn't continue, Luna stated, "I'm not certain how much longer Sailor Moon can continue to handle these situations alone. Her healing is not quite keeping up with the level of damage the youma have caused her, and I'm still not certain of the psychological damage. We need more Senshi!"

Luna fell silent as the terminal processed again, but it was not good news that she heard when it replied. "The time table for activating the other Senshi cannot be accelerated any further, and our other agents are working constantly to aid Sailor Moon. You must continue as you are."

Luna gritted her teeth at the reply, but she forced her tumultuous emotions down at the unhappy but not unexpected reply. "Very well," she said. "But please, hurry."

"We are moving at maximum pace," answered the maddeningly emotionless voice. "Central out."

With that, the screen went blank, and Luna hung her head. As she made her way back to Usagi's home, her mind strove to find a way to help her young charge, but nothing came to her.

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Ranma relaxed as the hot water cascaded over his body, rinsing the soap away in preparation for the day. Considering how long he was in China without such modern conveniences, even as simple a pleasure as a hot shower was heaven for the young negawarrior. Standing under the warm spray a few minutes longer than actually necessary, he considered the previous day. 'That riot was a bit over the top,' he thought with some trepidation. 'Maybe I should get Nephrite to tell me a little more about what's going on.'

Shutting off the water, Ranma snagged a towel from the nearby rack and quickly dried himself, the sound of knocking from the front door of the apartment making his actions a bit more urgent. As he stepped out of the bathroom, he called out, "Just a minute!" to the door and raced into his room. Quickly dressing in his usual Chinese clothing, the blue shirt today, he ran to the door and opened it.

"Yes?" he asked the bored-looking deliveryman beyond.

"I'm here to deliver your furniture," he said in a voice that made it clear he didn't particularly like his job. "Just mark your name here and tell me where you want it."

Ranma quickly scribed the kanji for his name on the proffered clip board and replied, "This is the living room, and the bed rooms are the too doors in the back."

The deliveryman nodded to the pigtailed boy and walked back toward the stairs, but before he could leave, Ranma called out, "I have to get to school, so can you lock up after you finish?"

"Yeah, kid," the man replied, raising a hand. "No problem."

Nodding to his back, Ranma returned to his room long enough to snag his school bag and hide the book Nephrite lent him, and as he was leaving, he saw the deliverymen returning with the first piece of furniture for the apartment. Shrugging, he made his way to the elevator and, ultimately, Juuban High.

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Shoulders slumped and head down, Gurio Umino slowly made his way toward school, his actions of the previous day weighing heavily on his mind. The evidence of the riot he'd helped to cause was all around him, and the reminders were troubling to the young man's heart. How could he have caused so much damage, acted so callously?

As he made his way through the damaged commercial district, his mind wandered back to the fortuneteller, her eyes blazing red in his mind. He still wasn't sure what she had done to him, but what ever it was, he had acted atrociously.

Worse yet, he remembered in vivid detail how he had stolen a kiss from Usagi, the hurt in her eyes still fresh in his mind. The information dealer stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts, still trying to wrap his mind around his own actions.

'Usagi,' he thought forlornly, 'I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you somehow.'

Continuing on his way, he could see several other students from Juuban Junior High also making their way toward school, but none of them paid him any mind. For that he was glad; the last thing he wanted was attention regarding the previous day's activities.

Glancing briefly at his watch, he decided that he had time to stop by one of his information drops on the way to school, and he turned off the main road into a nearby alley, heading for the drop. Tendo Nabiki tended to keep her orders to the network fairly clandestine, and he was expected to check her drop at least once a day. Since that drop was the only one that he absolutely had to check, he decided that it would be the one. Besides, it was placed strategically on his way to school for just that reason.

Winding his way through the alleys behind the commercial district, he quickly found the drop, an innocuous-looking black mailbox on the back of one particular store. Obviously, the owner of the store must owe Tendo-sama if he had the box, or perhaps she paid him to maintain it. Either way, Umino had never had any trouble with this particular drop.

Opening the mailbox, he pulled three slips of paper from inside, and as he continued on his way, he thumbed his way through them.

'Gambling odds...' he thought as he looked at the first. 'Not really useful for a Junior High, but I might be able to collect a few bets on this one. Lemme see...odds on Furinkan fights, speculation about changes in the school uniforms in Shinjuku, and something about the frequency of lightning strikes in Tomobiki. Not much to work with there, but I'll give it some thought.'

If nothing else, Umino was glad that thinking about 'work' would distract him from his own worries, and he continued to pour over the dispatches with the second piece of paper. Of course, nothing ever did keep him distracted from his unhappiness for long.

'An information request for anything about the riot yesterday...' he thought glumly. 'And a cash bonus for anyone with anything good. I can't cash in on my actions, really, but maybe I can write a report like I saw it happening. I mean, I could really use the extra cash to buy something for Usagi.'

His thoughts traveling down a sadder path, he moved on to the third and final piece of paper, instantly noting that it was marked urgent and direct from Tendo-sama herself. Opening it quickly, his eyes widened at the words written there. 'This is big!' he thought excitedly. 'This could bring a lot of profit potential into Juuban, but I'll have to move quickly if I want a piece of it. Too bad it's happening at the high school.'

Sliding all three dispatches into his pocket, Umino returned to the main road and hurried toward school, his mind considering how he could turn this new information to his advantage and maybe gain Tendo-sama's attention.

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Unazuki was just exiting the coffee shop across from Juuban High when she caught sight of a pigtailed form racing toward the school gate. Smiling, she called out, "Morning, Ranma!"

The teenage boy smiled as he replied in kind, slowing to fall into step beside the redhead. "How's it going?" he asked cheerfully.

"Not bad," she replied. "What about you? Did you hear about the riot last night? I can't believe something like that could happen in Juuban!"

"I'm fine," he answered, his voice turning a bit darker. "I'm just glad that it stayed away from my apartment building."

"Yeah," said Unazuki in a more reserved tone. "I'm glad it stayed clear of the Crown, too."

With that, they settled into a companionable silence, walking toward their class. 'He's so nice,' thought the ponytailed girl, smiling. 'And he looks good, too. Maybe I can go over to his place today.' With that thought, her cheeks turned a bit rosy.

As they settled into their seats about five minutes before class, Unazuki noticed an unfamiliar student, a girl with long raven hair, in the room, but it was too close to the beginning of class to investigate further, she decided. A glance at Ranma, sitting to her right, showed that the pigtailed boy hadn't even noticed yet.

'Oh well,' she thought as Hinako-sensei entered the room in her child form. 'I'm sure Hinako-sensei will ask any new students to introduce themselves.'

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Usagi sat in her seat, mulling over the events of the previous day. The riot alone had been over the top, but to have faced two youma as well...? She could still feel her injuries from fighting the fortuneteller youma, and she still had bruises from fighting the pet shop youma and the children it controlled. That fight particularly bothered her, especially since one of the children was her brother. In her reverie, she almost missed Haruna-sensei's exhausted entrance, but when she heard the teacher speak, the blonde-haired girl put aside her own concerns.

"Free...study...today," the teacher mumbled, and before anyone could say another word, she lay her head down on the desk in front of her, immediately fast asleep.

The sometime superhero stared at her teacher, eyes wide with worry and concern. This was the third day in a row that Haruna had been increasingly tired at school, and this time she didn't even try to call for attendance. What ever this was, it was bad, and Usagi resolved to follow her teacher after school was over.

Trying to clear her mind of worry, Usagi glanced about the classroom. Most of the students still didn't realize that something was really wrong with their teacher, just glad at their good fortune, having three days in a row with no school work, but she caught a few worried looks in some of the other girls' faces. The ponytailed teenager glanced forlornly at the seat next to her, but she could draw no comfort from Naru's empty seat. The redhead was still in the hospital, and Usagi was terribly worried for her friend's mother, as well.

Suddenly, a tap on her shoulder caused the blonde girl to jump in her seat, and when she turned, she saw Umino standing next to her desk. Her anger at the boy tried to flare up, but the remorseful, scared look in his eyes coupled with his slight gulp of nervousness quelled her anger to some degree. Trying to remember that he was under the influence of a youma the day before, she spoke to him in a voice slightly warmer than ice. "What do you want, Umino?"

It was obvious from the look in his eyes that her tone bothered the boy, and her heart almost went out to him, conflicting with her memories of the previous day.

"U—Usagi-san..." he began, his voice a hoarse, tiny whisper. "I—I'm so, so very...sorry for what I did yesterday. P—Please for—forgive me."

Making certain to focus on the fact that he was being influenced rather than her memories of him stealing her first kiss, Usagi managed to curb her remaining anger at the nerdish information broker. "It's...it's alright, Umino-kun," she replied, her tone warming slightly at his definitely heartfelt apology. "You really weren't acting like yourself yesterday, so I forgive you."

Tears glistened in the boy's eyes, but surprisingly, they did not fall. "Th—thank you, Usagi-san," he continued, his tremulous voice somewhat stronger. "I know an apology doesn't make it right, but I'll find some way to make it up to you, I swear."

Before Usagi could reply, Umino turned away and rushed back to his seat, and the blonde couldn't help but look at his back for a moment. 'He really was being controlled,' she thought. 'I can forgive him much easier than I can forgive the youma that caused the whole thing.'

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Ranma had been practicing shield constructs without powering them when Hinako-sensei's childish voice called out, "Alright everyone, it's time for class."

Looking up and abandoning his latest bit of construct speed practice, Ranma noted that a new girl was standing at the front of the class. Assuming that this was the standard introduction ritual so common with a new student, the pigtailed negawarrior decided to go ahead and pay attention. Besides, the girl was kind of cute, her blue-black hair hanging to the small of her back.

"Class," Hinako continued. "We have a new student today. She transferred from Furinkan High over in Nerima, and I would appreciate everyone being nice to her." Turning to the new student, she asked, "Would you care to introduce yourself to the class."

The new girl smiled at everyone in general, her face practically outshining the fluorescent lights above. "Hello everyone," she said in a pleasant voice. "My name is Tendo Akane. I'm pleased to meet all of you."

Hearing her name, something pinged in the back of Ranma's mind, but he couldn't quite remember what was so important. 'I'm sure I've heard that name before,' he thought, wracking his brain for an answer. 'No, that's not quite right. Still, something is familiar about that name.'

"Thank you, Tendo-san," he heard Hinako say. He watched her briefly look at a seating chart on her desk before continuing, pointing a finger at the empty desk to the pigtailed boy's right. "You may take a seat there, next to Saotome-san. He's new to this school, as well."

Akane's face flashed in a brief frown of thought before she made her way to the indicated desk, and Ranma continued to try to figure out why her name seemed so familiar as Hinako-sensei began to take roll.

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As lunch period rolled around, Tendo Akane walked back toward her classroom from the food counter bearing a purchased lunch. She thought briefly about her sister Kasumi's wonderful cooking, but the dark-haired girl didn't allow herself to dwell on things she wouldn't be enjoying for a while. All in all, it was a trade-off she could live with since she wouldn't have to deal with the hentai horde and that moron here at Juuban High. Akane was definitely grateful to Nabiki for getting her out of that situation.

When she sat once more in her seat, she briefly spied the black-haired boy who sat next to her, and once again the Tendo daughter wracked her brain as to why his name was so familiar. 'I know I've heard his name before,' she thought vexedly, 'but I just can't remember where. I hate it when this happens to me!'

Her first reaction to the idea of sitting next to a boy at her new school was mentally violent, considering why she transferred. However, one of her sister Nabiki's conditions about getting her a place to stay in Juuban had been that she try to curb her temper regarding the opposite sex, and she now applied all her meager willpower to the task. Besides, the boy sitting next to her had not so much as thrown a perverted glace her way…yet.

Before her thoughts could continue down that annoying path, a cheery voice broke through her concentration. "Hi!" greeted the redhead she recognized as the girl assigned the desk on the other side of Ranma as she dropped into the empty seat in front of Akane. "My name is Furuhata Unazuki."

Akane, putting aside her mental delving for the moment, smiled at the other girl and reintroduced herself. "I'm Tendo Akane," she replied. "Pleased to meet you."

Almost belatedly, the boy still sitting next to her continued the introductions, looking almost like someone had kicked him to get his attention on the moment. "Oh, sorry," Ranma said, a somewhat embarrassed smile resting on his face. "I'm Saotome Ranma. Pleased ta meetcha."

With the introductions out of the way, the three high schoolers began to eat their lunches, and Akane blinked at the sheer speed at which Ranma devoured his food. "Whoa..." she muttered under her breath, then looking at Unazuki, she asked, "Does he always eat like that?"

With a wry grin and a shake of her head, the redhead replied, "Well, I've only known him for a couple of days, but yeah, I think so."

By then, Ranma had finished his lunch, and he defensively told the two girls, "Hey, a martial artist has to eat. Besides, it's pretty good speed training."

Akane brightened immediately at the mention of martial arts, though cringing a bit mentally, remembering the fights at her old school. Forgetting the amazing display of speed eating, she asked him, "So you practice martial arts? Maybe we can spar some time."

"Sounds like fun," Ranma answered, favoring her with a grin. To Akane's relief he didn't immediately challenge her to a duel to date her, and the dark-haired girl continued to remind herself that Kuno had never made that stupid speech to the boys at Juuban."

Before the conversation could progress into a more esoteric martial arts discussion, Unazuki broke in, changing the subject. "So Akane," she asked in a cheery, inquisitive tone. "Why did you transfer to Juuban? Nerima's only just across Tokyo, after all."

Akane considered not telling her new friends about what was happening at Furinkan, but she decided it would serve no purpose to hide her reasons. "Well," the dark-haired girl began. "I don't know if you'd believe me if I told you, to be honest."

At this point, Ranma spoke, his tone now curious. "Try us. Trust me; it can't be weirder than my life before coming here."

Akane gave the boy a quizzical look, but she let the comment drop, replying, "Okay, you asked for it. Every morning, somewhere between twenty and forty guys from the sports teams at Furinkan would challenge me, all at once. They thought if one of them could beat me that I'd go out with them."

The growing expressions of incredulity and confusion on her two listeners' faces told Akane that they didn't quite believe her story, but before she could try to convince them, Ranma asked, "What the heck gave them the idea that you'd go out with them if they beat you?!"

Very happy with the pigtailed boy's response, Akane continued her story. "Well, at the beginning of the school year, Furinkan had a speech contest. One of the contestants, a moronic sempai named Kuno Tatewaki, made a speech telling all the boys at Furinkan that he would 'not permit anyone to date with Tendo Akane unless they have defeated her in combat.' In that last part, Akane tried to imitate Kuno's voice, resulting in amused chuckles from her new friends.

"This Kuno guy sounds like a real head case," Ranma said as his laughter subsided. "Why the heck did anyone listen to him, anyway?"

Becoming a bit more serious, Akane answered, "Well, he comes from a really old samurai family with lots of money, so he gets to be 'eccentric' rather than insane. He just lives in his own world where he is the 'noble' samurai."

Shaking her head, Unazuki said, "Well, no one would take that seriously at this high school, so you won't have to worry about that here. Besides, Hinako-sensei would put a stop to something like that real quick. Let's talk about something else.…"

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Even though school was ending, Usagi didn't leave her desk. Though most of the other students had already left for their homes or after-school activities, the sometime superhero watched her teacher intently, the brown-haired woman still sleeping at her desk with her head pillowed on her arms. Usagi couldn't help worrying more and more about Haruna-sensei as the teacher slept the afternoon away, and the blonde wondered what could possibly tire the teacher so much.

Suddenly, a beeping sound came from the sleeping woman, and Haruna stirred. Almost holding her breath, Usagi watched as the teacher stretched and ran her hands through her hair, straightening the rumpled brown locks. Standing quickly, Usagi approached the teacher's desk, but before she got there, Haruna spoke in a surprised and seemingly fairly refreshed voice. "Usagi? What on earth are you still doing here?"

"Umm..." Usagi began, unsure of her words. "Haruna-sensei, you've given us free study and slept through school for three days straight now. That's not like you, and I'm really worried. Is something wrong?"

Smiling at the blonde student, Haruna replied, "Nothing's really wrong, Usagi-chan, but thank you for asking. I've been going to the gym at night lately, and it's really tiring me out. But maybe you're right; I need to get a hold of myself and stop this before I get fired for sleeping on the job."

Even though the teacher's words were reassuring, Usagi, for some reason, just didn't believe what the brown-haired woman was saying. Something in Haruna's tone told the blonde girl that her teacher actually couldn't help continuing to go to that gym, and Usagi resolved to follow the woman until she got to the bottom of the matter.

As Haruna gathered a few papers from the desk and inserted them into her bag, Usagi spoke with what she hoped sounded like relief and trust in her voice. "That's good, Haruna-sensei. I was just worried about you."

"Well," the brown-haired woman replied, smiling. "Don't worry. I'll be back to my normal self tomorrow, so don't be late, Usagi-chan."

Usagi nodded to her teacher and left the classroom, a quick "See you tomorrow, Haruna-sensei" cast over her shoulder as she walked away. The blonde teenager quickly made her way out of the school, and spying Luna waiting in the schoolyard, she motioned for the cat to follow her.

As she got into a position where she could see Haruna's car, Usagi slipped her hand into her pocket, grasping the disguise pen. Whispering "Disguise Power," the blonde girl's form shimmered and shifted, becoming the image of a young woman with short black hair, blue jeans, and a pink tee shirt that Usagi concentrated on in her mind.

"Usagi," came Luna's whispered voice from behind her. "What are you doing?"

Without turning from her vigil on Haruna's car, the now black-haired girl answered in a voice entirely unlike Usagi's usual soprano, an almost husky contra-alto purr. "Haruna-sensei has been acting weird for the past three days, and I think something's really wrong. Like Dark Kingdom wrong."

"Hmm," replied the moon cat in a thoughtful tone. "That would be just about right for when the attacks began."

"Yeap, and—" Usagi began, but the appearance of her target in a dark red women's business suit cut her off. "Shh, here she comes."

Usagi and Luna watched as Haruna got into her car, and they were hot on her trail as the teacher drove away.

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Ranma, Unazuki, and Akane walked out of their classroom as school ended for the day, and as they approached the front doors, Akane said, "I have a few more things I need to do to finish my transfer, guys. Sorry, but I have to take care of this. See you tomorrow."

The blue-black-haired girl smiled and waved at her new friends before diverting her course toward the school office, and the remaining boy and girl replied in kind, waving to the new transfer student.

After the youngest Tendo daughter disappeared into the school office, Unazuki turned to Ranma. "You hungry?" she asked, but before he could answer she smiled mischievously at him and continued. "Never mind. You're always hungry."

With a look that even the redhead could tell was mock-hurt, Ranma replied, "Hey! I'm not always hungry!" The hurt tone vanished as he mumbled the rest of his statement, drawing a laugh from his female companion. "Just most of the time."

With a bright, cheery smile, Unazuki suggested, "Well, let's go over the Parlor for a snack. I don't have to work today, but free food is always good, right?"

Smiling back at her, the black haired teen answered, "You got that right. Let's go!"

The two high school students made their way from Juuban High to the Crown Parlor in companionable silence, but as they came in sight of their destination, Unazuki asked, "Hey Ranma, where is your apartment, anyway?"

Absently, the pigtailed boy responded. "'Bout two blocks down and one block to the right of your restaurant. Why do ya wanna know?"

"Oh," she said innocently. "Just curious. What number?"

"Eleven oh five," Ranma said, again answering automatically, at least, until his brain caught up with his mouth. "Hang on a sec. Unazuki, you shouldn't just drop by; I haven't introduced you to my guardian yet."

A mischievous smile played over the redhead's lips as she maneuvered Ranma to a particular decision. "Well then, why don't we go to your place after we eat, and you can introduce me?"

"Well, he isn't always there, ya know," Ranma tried to dodge, his nervous tone giving his evasion away. "We'd probably miss him, actually."

"Ah, checking won't hurt," Unazuki persisted, and a brief glance at Ranma's face told her that she'd prevailed. "Don't worry, Ranma. I'm told I'm very likable, don't you think?"

If bringing her home to his apartment had made Ranma nervous, this question seemed to terrify the pigtailed boy, and Unazuki decided to give her friend a break and relent after he stood there stuttering at her for a few seconds, his hand scratching behind his head in embarrassment. "Don't worry about it, Ranma," she soothed him, smiling to show that it was all right. "Besides, we're here."

Indeed, as she said, the two entered the Crown Game Center, but before they could make their way up to the Parlor, Unazuki's older brother, Motoki, intercepted them. He was a college freshman with short blonde hair and bishonen looks that drove most of Unazuki's friends wild, exasperating the red-haired girl to no end.

"Hey, imouto-chan," greeted the elder boy, then he turned to his sister's escort. "And I think Unazuki introduced you as Ranma, right? How are you two doing today?"

"Well," the redhead answered before Ranma could open his mouth. She knew that Motoki wouldn't have stopped her if something weren't up. "School's out and we were going to get a snack up in the Parlor."

At the blonde man's slight change in expression, Unazuki barely stopped herself from wincing. "Well, Okaasan was looking for you," he said, his change in tone telling Unazuki exactly what she didn't want to hear, and his words confirmed his tone a moment later. "I think a couple of the servers called in sick today, so I bet Okaasan will want you to work."

The impulse to grab Ranma's hand and bolt was strong, but Unazuki was a very responsible girl. Instead, she turned to Ranma and said, "Well, I guess we'll have to take a rain check on our plans for the afternoon, Ranma. Sorry."

The dark-haired teen smiled reassuringly to Unazuki, though the girl could also see some relief in his eyes at not having to take her home, and replied, "Don't worry about it. If you have to work, you have to work."

"Well," Unazuki said, hoping that Ranma couldn't see her disappointment. "I can still offer you that snack, anyway." With that, she ushered Ranma up the stairs to the Parlor.

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Crouched in an alley across the street from Haruna's apartment, a black-haired young woman conversed with a black cat as she watched for the teacher's departure. "Luna," she asked in a deep, purring voice that seemed to come with the disguise. "We've been so busy fighting since you gave me my brooch that I don't know anything about our enemy."

"I guess I should tell you what I know about them, Usagi," the cat replied, keeping her tone low but avoiding an actual whisper. "However, my memory is not very good after being in cryo-sleep for about twenty thousand years."

Usagi looked at her moon guardian in surprise, exclaiming, "Twenty thousand years?! This conflict is that old?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Luna replied in a growling hiss. "We don't want to attract attention!"

Nodding to her guardian, the black-haired girl continued in a low voice. "But still, I really need to know more about this."

Nodding, Luna spoke. "At that time, all of the planets in the solar system were inhabited, and all of them were ruled from Terra's moon by Queen Serenity. She was a kind and wise ruler, and all the people were happy under her watchful gaze. However, it seemed that a nation from another Universe, a place filled with nothing but evil called the Negaverse, wanted to conquer the solar system and destroy the Silver Millennium. This Dark Kingdom attacked and destroyed everything in its path, and in the end, Queen Serenity had to use her power to seal the evil away in its own realm, giving her life in the process. She sent the souls of the most powerful warriors of her court, the Senshi, into the future so that they could be reborn to counter the threat of the Dark Kingdom when it finally broke the seal, and you are one of those warriors, reincarnated to fight the evil that has now broken free."

Luna paused at that point to assess the impact of her story on her young charge, but through the disguise field, the moon cat couldn't tell what Usagi was thinking. Luna knew that there was something important she was forgetting, something off about her story, but she just couldn't remember what that could be, though she wracked her brain for the answer.

"I see," Usagi said cautiously. "So the Dark Kingdom is trying to take over the solar system again, and I have to stop them. What about the other Senshi?"

"I asked Central about them," Luna replied, "and they are trying to reawaken them as quickly as possible. In the mean time, we have to do everything we can to stop the Dark Kingdom until the others arrive."

After Usagi nodded, the moon cat decided to let her charge think about the story in silence for a time, and she returned to her vigil over the teacher's home.

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Happily full, Ranma bid Unazuki farewell and walked out of the Crown Center, headed for his apartment. With the light breeze coming in from over Tokyo Bay, the day was extremely pleasant, and the former martial artist couldn't think of a more enjoyable way to spend it than walking out in the sun and wind. 'Well,' he admitted in his mind. 'It would be more pleasant with company.'

While he was a bit confused about his feelings, he knew that he really liked spending time with Unazuki, and the pigtailed teenager was now very much regretting that she had to work. Shrugging the feeling away, he realized that he had already arrived at his building, and walking into the elevator, he resolved to open up the windows of his apartment and relax for a while, studying the book Nephrite had given him. However, his original plan vanished when he opened the door to his home: on the new, black-leather sofa sat Nephrite himself.

Taking in the living room's transformation briefly, Ranma greeted his teacher. 'Hey Nephrite," he said, casually dropping his school bag next to the door. Once he slipped off his shoes and dropped into the matching, plush leather chair facing the dark general, he asked, "Take care of everything in the Dark Kingdom?"

Smiling at his student, Nephrite replied, "Not all of it, but I figured I'd check up on you. How are you doing with that book?"

"It's working alright," Ranma stated. "But just like when I was learning the Art from my Pop, learning from a manual isn't as good as learning from a person. I skimmed through the shield construct section, and I've been practicing the speed-form techniques. That's about it."

Nephrite nodded, approval obvious on his face. "Unfortunately, I can't stay long," the brown-haired negawarrior said. "I still have a few more things to take care of in the Kingdom, but I should be able to get back to teaching you tomorrow."

Ranma cracked a smile at the thought of once again learning from the older negawarrior and replied, "That'll be great."

Shifting to a more comfortable sitting position on the couch, Nephrite spoke again. "Since it's pretty inevitable that you're going to see some battles, let me give you some background on who's fighting."

Ranma listened intently as Nephrite told him about youma, negawarriors, negalytes, and the Senshi who were their enemies. "Most of our soldiers, the youma, use a form of sorcery powered by negaforce without annihilating it with lifeforce. Negalytes and negawarriors, like us, use the annihilation power I've taught you to power constructs and fight. I know you've seen enough battles so far to see some youma, but there is no set form that youma take, unlike humans. To most people, a youma looks like some kind of daemon, but they are actually the native denizens of the Negaverse.

"Both humans and youma can become negawarriors, though it is more common in youma, and the induction process is the same. However, youma negawarriors are the exact opposite of human ones, drawing lifeforce through their mirrors and combining it with their negaforce to power constructs. Youma negawarriors are generally much less powerful than human ones and transform into Negalytes more quickly.

"Negalytes are actually a hybrid race created either when a youma and a human procreate or when a negawarrior begins to succumb to the effects of using the energy that is opposite to their natures. However, the negalyte race has been around longer than living memory, even in the Dark Kingdom. It is actually an inevitable aspect of being a negawarrior that we will all eventually become negalytes, but the more powerful you are, the longer it takes and the more you can and must resist it. The generals of the Dark Kingdom are the last remaining human negawarriors besides you, but there are quite a few youma negawarriors left. The seal on the Negaverse prevented them from drawing lifeforce through their mirrors while in place, so they are quite out of practice using their powers, and unfortunately, they are nowhere near the strength of human negawarriors."

Nephrite paused, but Ranma gestured for him to continue, no questions presenting themselves to his mind. "Our major opponents on Terra are the Senshi," Nephrite continued. "The Senshi here today, if Kingdom researchers are correct, are the reincarnations of the strongest warriors from the Moon Kingdom, our ancient enemy. My understanding is limited, but as I learned about it, they use mana-based magic powered by a celestial body, usually a planet, through a mana bind. And don't ask me to explain that answer because I don't really understand it myself. I never had the interest or talent to use mana-based magic, and I don't really understand much beyond how to use constructs to counter it."

"So what you're saying," Ranma asked for clarification, "is that Sailor Moon uses power drawn from the moon?"

"In a nutshell," Nephrite answered. "In any case, you are definitely not skilled enough with constructs to take on any Senshi yet, Ranma. You'll just get your ass handed to you, and I'd hate to see my best student die before his time."

"I know, I know," Ranma returned, somewhat exasperated by Nephrite's continuous warnings. Snapping his fingers as he suddenly remembered something, he said, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot; I need you to drop by my school pretty soon. They want to finalize my transfer with my guardian."

Nephrite nodded to the younger negawarrior, replying, "No problem. I'm going by the name Sanjouin Masato with normal people, by the way." His expression became a wry smirk as he continued with "Nephrite just doesn't seem like a common name."

"Works for me, Masato," Ranma replied, smirking back. "I just need you to stop by the school before the end of next week. They won't let me go any more if you don't."

Nephrite nodded, saying, "No problem; I'll do it tomorrow morning. If there isn't anything else, I need to get back to the Kingdom."

"Nope," Ranma shook his head. "I'll see ya later."

Nephrite nodded back and vanished in a flash of darkness, and Ranma stood from the exceedingly comfortable chair to retrieve the book. It was some interesting information to mull over, but that little bit of background Nephrite gave him actually meant very little to the pigtailed negawarrior. He was more of a hands-on kind of learner. After snagging the book from his room and admiring his new furniture, Ranma decided to return to his original plan for the afternoon, opening the windows to the apartment's living room and sitting down to study the construct manual.

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As the afternoon wore on into evening, Usagi was beginning to think that Haruna actually wasn't going to leave her apartment. In four hours of watching, the teacher had yet to leave her home, and the sometime superhero was beginning to get hungry.

"Luna," she whispered to her guardian feline. "Is it possible that what ever the Dark Kingdom is doing to her is happening in there?"

The black advisor shook her head at the currently black-haired girl. "I've been using a spell to scan for dark energy, and there is no negaforce in use anywhere nearby."

Finally, just as Usagi was about to give up entirely and go home for dinner, Haruna's front door opened. Stepping outside with a dazed expression, the wavy-haired woman walked to her car. To the black-haired girl, the teacher seemed to be moving as though in a dream, but regardless, Haruna started her car and drove slowly away. As quickly as possible, the cat and human followed the teacher, hoping to stop anything from harming her.

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The clank of free weights and exercise machines filled the room, and a woman wearing a leotard and stopwatch, obviously a staff trainer, looked on in delight. Her master's plan here was working perfectly, and she couldn't be more pleased. Suddenly, the feeling of negaforce came from the office, and the youma-in-human-form hurried to see what was happening.

Arriving at the office, she was pleased to note the arrival of Master Jadeite, his uniform already shifting into a guise of grey, almost white, sweats. With Jadeite, the youma recognized one of the dark general's senior staff youma, Akonei, and she quickly bowed to both of her superiors. "Master Jadeite, Colonel Akonei, I welcome you to my operational post," she greeted respectfully. "What can I do for you?"

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Jadeite replied to her greeting. "Due to some unexpected problems, we need to modify the plan for this post. Please report. How many subjects do you currently have, and how often do they come in?"

Walking over to her desk, the Lieutenant snagged a clipboard and flipped a few pages, answering, "We currently have about two hundred subjects, and they come in quite often. Some are so caught up in the plan that they come every day, but I have yet to see any subject wait more than three days before returning. The addictive nature and physical effects of the treatment combined with the social pressures on these Terrans makes our harvesting method here quite compelling."

"Alright," Jadeite nodded to her. "We are going to shut down this operation, and I want to take the subjects with us. I want you to begin transporting them to the periphery harvesting station over in Shinjuku tonight, and I expect all subjects there and this post closed down in no more than four days. Understood?"

Bowing again, confused but knowing better than to question her master, the youma replied, "Understood, Master Jadeite. I actually have thirty subjects in the harvesting chamber now, if you wish to oversee the first transport?"

The dark general nodded to his subordinate, seeming pleased, and she led him and the colonel out of her office and down stairs to the 'special exercise' area.

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Usagi finally caught up to Haruna as she was parallel parking her car outside what appeared to be a twenty-four hour gym, and as she watched, the usually blonde-haired girl remembered Umino telling her that the brown-haired teacher had been working out, not to mention Haruna herself mentioning going to a gym. Waiting until the teacher went inside, Usagi began to casually walk up to the business.

"Luna," she said quietly to her companion. "You wait out here while I check this place out."

"Be careful, Usagi," came the cat's equally soft reply. "I can sense some negaforce being used inside."

Nodding once to the cat, Usagi made her way inside the gym.

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Jadeite glanced around the harvesting chamber built into the basement of the gym, a satisfied look in his eyes. If it weren't for that damned moon bitch, all his operations would be running this smoothly, and there were few things more satisfying to the dark general than a smoothly performing plan. All around him, humans stood within circles of crystals, an illusion construct easily hiding the abnormal, blue harvesting crystals from their sight. Of course, a second construct increased the humans' metabolism, both making them slimmer, as promised, and increasing their lifeforce for his harvesting crystals. Jadeite never made promises he didn't keep, not even to his victims.

Even as he watched, two more humans, a woman with brown hair and a man with blonde, entered the chamber, led by large bodybuilders in his youma's thrall. The lieutenant in charge of the operation walked up to the two subjects, dismissing the bodybuilders. "Hello and welcome back," she greeted the humans warmly, gesturing for them to follow. "This is a very exciting time, and I want the two of you to be the first to experience our newest exercise machine! Doesn't that sound great?"

Even as he watched, the youma lieutenant wove a construct around the two tired-looking subjects, bringing them under her control. It was quite gratifying to watch the soldier work so smoothly, and Jadeite was of a mind to give her a commendation once the operation was successfully completed.

Finally leading the two humans to the back of the room, the youma powered a teleport conduit construct, opening a black rift in the air. "Just go through here," the youma told the humans cheerfully, "and you'll get to try something very special!"

Jadeite almost shook his head as the man and woman stepped willingly through the dark portal, doubtlessly ending up at the Shinjuku harvesting station. Continuing to power the portal, the youma lieutenant began to round up the other humans in the harvesting chamber, ushering them to the rift. However, a shout from the top of the stairs startled him from his vigil.

"Stop right there!!" came the female yell. "How dare you corrupt a gym where people go to make their bodies healthier?! I am Sailor Moon, and I will punish you for kidnapping people, in the name of the Moon!"

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As Usagi entered the gym, she caught the barest glimpse of long brown hair disappearing through a door in the back, and the sometime Senshi walked quickly to follow. The main floor of the building was filled with weight machines, racks filled with free weights, and various aerobic exercise machines like treadmills and stair-climbers, all things associated with physical fitness. In addition, the exercise floor was quite crowded with people, and upbeat music blared from speakers mounted from the walls. All in all, it was a fairly normal gym for an urban area.

Reaching the door, Usagi saw that beyond was a stairway leading down into the building's basement, a dimly lit room containing a number of customers and three trainers. Even as she watched, one of the trainers led Haruna and a blonde-haired man toward the back of the room, and the currently black-haired girl gasped as a shadowy rift opened and the two adults stepped through.

Usagi retreated from the back doorway in horror, her eyes wide. This was definitely a Dark Kingdom front, and she knew that Sailor Moon was needed. Glancing around, Usagi found the restrooms and dashed inside. Briefly confirming that no one else was inside, the rabbit girl dropped her disguise and snagged her brooch, calling out, "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

A flash of light and power later, Sailor Moon raced out of the bathroom and back to the stairs. As she reached the top, she saw, to her horror, that more people were walking through the black portal, and she yelled the first words that came to her mind.

"Stop right there!!" Moon cried, the three trainers turning to look at her. "How dare you corrupt a gym where people go to make their bodies healthier?! I am Sailor Moon, and I will punish you for kidnapping people, in the name of the Moon!"

Corny lines, as usual, but she didn't concern herself with her speech. Instead, the Senshi of the Moon raced down the stairs, wracking her brain for a way to close the rift and save as many people as she could. However, before she could reach the people, the leotard-clad woman that had been ushering people through the rift intercepted her.

"I take it that you're the 'complication' that made us accelerate our plans here," the woman sneered. "Well, you won't stop us here!"

Before Sailor Moon could do anything to the woman, her features changed. The trainer's eyes sank back into her skull leaving pools of darkness, and her skin turned pale as bone. Each of her limbs grew longer, gaining two additional joints, and her teeth elongated and sharpened into fangs. "You won't stop me from completing my mission!" the creature hissed at the Moon Senshi. "In fact, you won't interfere with us ever again! Come, slaves!"

Moon looked wide-eyed at the youma before her, almost missing what the creature said, but a masculine growl from behind the blonde superhero made her wonder. 'Slaves?'

Spinning around and moving to the side, Sailor Moon now saw the 'slaves', three very large men, charging her. With the bodybuilders bearing down on her, the Senshi hesitated, and in that moment, one of the muscled men grabbed her by the shoulder and spun, releasing her in a hard throw at a nearby wall.

Moon screamed as she flew through the air, and with a sickening crack, she slammed head first into the concrete, her Senshi magic the only thing keeping her from a fatal head injury. As it was, she was still stunned, her head aching from the impact. Fortunately for her, she could still see, and she barely rolled out of the way as another of the bodybuilders tried to slam his foot into the side of her neck.

Gritting her teeth against the pain in her head and neck, Sailor Moon crouched, slowly circling and retreating to keep all the enemies in front of her. Even as she focused on the battle, the Moon Senshi noticed the other female trainer moving more people through the dark rift, but needing to focus on fighting four opponents removed any chance that Moon had to stop them.

With her attention briefly divided, the blonde Senshi almost didn't see the renewed charge by two of the bodybuilders, one charging from each flank. Instinctively, Moon went on the offensive with the one coming from her right, in effect dodging the other. Blocking a hard left hook from her chosen opponent, the Senshi slammed a hard palm heel strike to the man's sternum, the sound of strained, creaking ribs reaching her ears from the blow. The bodybuilder flew back and slammed into the wall, a few spiderweb cracks forming at the point of impact.

Turning to face her other opponents, Sailor Moon again dropped into a combat crouch, intent on ending this quickly. However, the two remaining men were now taking her more seriously, moving in slowly and splitting apart to flank her yet again. Even as she prepared to fight, a memory from the previous night tickled her awareness, and a challenging smile blossomed on her face.

When the two bodybuilders were finally flanking the Senshi of the Moon, they charged; it seemed that the flank-and-charge tactic was the extent of their ability for strategic planning. Instead of facing a charge from both sides, Sailor Moon leapt forward, rolling on the ground and returning to her feet to face her opponents even as they just barely avoided a collision.

Before the two bodybuilders could renew their assault, Moon reached up and pulled off her tiara. With a shout of "Moon Tiara Stardust," the Senshi let the golden disk of light fly at the men, and as it had the previous night, the disk shattered in a cloud of golden motes, dropping the men to the floor, unconscious.

Even as her tiara reappeared on her forehead, Sailor Moon turned to face the angry white youma, a challenging smirk on her face even as she dropped into a combat crouch.

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Engrossed in the book, Ranma almost didn't notice the sudden increase in negaforce use, but when he did, the pigtailed negawarrior reacted instantly. Closing the training manual and using a sensory construct to find the source of the negative energy, Ranma rushed out of the apartment, barely remembering to put his shoes on.

As he raced down the stairs and out of his apartment building, the black-haired boy tried to figure out what the negaforce user was doing, but although some of the output felt familiar, there were definitely a couple of new constructs in the mix. Of course, the sprinklers outside his apartment building chose that moment to come on and drench the now female redhead, but the boy-turned-girl paid the change no mind. The excitement of learning something new drove Ranma to a new level of speed, and she arrived at the source of the disturbance, a small gym three blocks from her home, in only about five minutes.

Even as she entered the business, the loud sound of a body impacting with a wall reached her martial-trained ears, and she knew the action had to be in the basement. Completely ignoring the patrons of the establishment, Ranma made a quick survey of the ground floor, and she quickly found a door in the back leading to a stairway.

Sure enough, as she reached the top of the stairs, there was Sailor Moon, facing off against another construct-wielding creature, a youma negawarrior Ranma supposed. Behind the Moon Senshi, three bodybuilders lay unconscious on the floor, one appearing moderately injured. A quick once-over with her trained eye told the former martial artist that the bodybuilder lying against the wall was knocked out in hand-to-hand fighting, and her respect for the blonde devil hunter rose another notch. She always respected those who could handle themselves physically as well as using whatever other powers they had.

A growling sound coming from the youma brought Ranma back to the coming battle, and the pigtailed negawarrior crouched quietly at the top of the stairs to watch the impending fight with her construct-enhanced eyes.

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As Jadeite watched Sailor Moon fight the human thralls, he analyzed her fighting moves. 'She can improvise,' he thought with some grudging respect for his enemy, 'and her tactics are sound. She might just be formidable enough to challenge us, considering our troops' difficulties in surviving in the Universe.'

Even as he considered her abilities, Sailor Moon threw her tiara at the remaining two bodybuilders, and when the motes of light cleared, the two men were lying unconscious on the floor. Moon herself turned to face the youma lieutenant in a combat crouch, a challenging smirk on her face. The youma simply growled at her, materializing a long, wickedly curved, double-bladed pole arm in her long, flexible arms. Light glittered from the razor-sharp blades as the youma gave a brief demonstration of her skill with the weapon, and when it stopped spinning, one blade was pointed directly at the moon bitch's throat.

Blatantly ignoring the threat of the polearm, Sailor Moon charged the youma head on, but that idea was a mistake, as Jadeite well understood. A moment of frantic dodging from the once again rapidly spinning blade on the devil hunter's part and she retreated once more from the swift blades of the youma's polearm, several minor cuts oozing blood on her arms. The smirk was gone from her face, but her eyes were hard, unyielding.

Glancing away from the fight, Jadeite saw that Akonei had nearly finished moving the humans through the rift, only three more remaining. The dark general gritted his teeth at his bad luck. 'How did Sailor Moon find this operation, anyway?' Jadeite asked himself. 'Now, I'll only get the thirty some odd people who were already in the harvesting chamber rather than the full two hundred subjects!' And that fact angered him greatly.

Turning back to the battle, Jadeite watched as Sailor Moon once again attacked the youma, but this time her movements were swift and small, testing the lieutenant's defenses. Before Jadeite's eyes, the Senshi actually seemed to be learning the youma's fighting style, and after a moment more, Moon backed off once again, breathing heavily and sporting more lacerations. However, Jadeite could tell that she was planning something, and he didn't like it.

Suddenly, as Akonei closed the rift, the dark general sensed another negaforce user; one whom the portal had drowned out before Akonei closed it. Using his sensory constructs to sharpen his sight, Jadeite saw a red-haired girl crouching quietly, almost invisible at the top of the stairs. 'Who is that?' he thought with some trepidation. 'Probably one of Zoisite's or Kunzite's possession youma. Well, no matter.'

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Ranma grinned as she committed the entire materialization construct to memory, happy at her good fortune at seeing the construct this time. Carefully, she watched as Sailor Moon charged the youma with predictable results, and a wiser devil hunter backed away a moment later. It was obvious to her martial-trained eyes that the youma was fighting defensively, and a quick glance behind her revealed why.

Further back in the room, another woman was ushering a group of people through a dark portal, and the pigtailed negawarrior decided that she must have been seeing one of the Dark Kingdom's harvesting operations in action. While it rubbed her the wrong way to think about kidnapping people, she couldn't fault the logic of doing so. Why just drain peoples' ki and let them go when you could keep them as a renewable energy source? Well, at least when you need the energy to fight a war.

As Sailor Moon once again moved forward to fight the youma, Ranma focused on the battle. This time, the Moon Senshi was testing the youma's defenses, and the redhead couldn't help but approve of the action. For a little girl with corny lines, that devil hunter did know how to fight. She certainly wasn't even close to Ranma's level, but the red-haired girl could easily see the blonde having a dan or two in an unarmed style.

Again, Sailor Moon backed off, but this time Ranma could see something else in her stance, a plan of attack. Even as the last person disappeared through the portal and it closed, the Senshi of the Moon raced toward the youma with an angry yell.

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Sailor Moon struggled to catch her breath after her second round with the lanky white creature, her skin burning from the cuts caused by her opponent's blades, especially the long slash that grazed her ribs on the left side. The blonde Senshi really didn't understand how she was able to fight like this, but it just seemed instinctive, as if her body was remembering how to defend itself. Letting the skills have free reign, she had twice attacked the youma. The first time it beat her back soundly, giving her a few cuts as a parting gift, but the second time she began to see a pattern in the youma's spinning polearm, a tremendously valuable fact regardless of the additional damage.

As she finally got her breathing under control, Moon risked a glance behind the youma and almost screamed. She was out of time, and as she watched in horror, the last person disappeared into the dark rift. Even as she felt despair welling up in her chest, the woman, probably another youma, waved a hand and closed the portal. The Moon Senshi felt a tear slowly track down her cheek for the people lost, and then she returned her attention to the youma before her, teeth clenched and staring balefully at the inhuman monster.

With a hate-filled shout, Sailor Moon charged her enemy for the third time, intent on its death. However, she had to abort her charge as the youma raised a hand and launched a black bolt of power at the blonde girl. Moon rolled to the side, but to avoid giving her opponent any more time than necessary, she sprang back to her feet and renewed her charge from the new angle, barely missing a beat.

As she came within range of the polearm, the youma once again began to spin the cruelly bladed weapon. Letting her body move on its own, Moon dodged most of the strikes, but she still gained a few more cuts. Heedless of the new damage, the Senshi focused on the movements of the polearm, waiting for the opportunity she saw in the pattern the last time.

Suddenly, there it was! A split second where the youma brought the polearm parallel with the ground, neither of the blades pointed at its enemy. In that split second, Moon struck the haft of the weapon with an open-palm strike, driving the staff into the creature's face and stunning it. Immediately taking advantage of the suddenly immobile monster, the Senshi of the Moon began to rain kicks and punches on the youma's torso and legs, the tell-tale snap of bone coming from one particularly vicious kick to a leg causing the creature to scream.

With a final, hard side kick to the monster's abdomen, the youma flew away from the blonde Senshi, and even before the creature struck the wall, Moon was already beginning her final attack. With a cry of "Moon Tiara Action!" she let fly the glowing disk, and the youma disintegrated into a fine grey dust.

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Jadeite was extremely surprised when the battle turned in favor of the blonde Senshi; a single strike in a split second of weakness was all it took for her to mercilessly beat the dark general's youma. Even more surprising to Jadeite was the brutality of her final attack and the seeming ease with which she performed it. 'Our enemy is utterly ruthless,' he thought, sickened as his youma lieutenant disintegrated under the onslaught of planetary lifeforce. 'We can give the Senshi no quarter.'

Suiting actions to thoughts, Jadeite raised a hand and fired off a simple negaforce bolt, barely contained within its construct shell. The Moon Senshi, barely having recovered from using her final attack, had no chance to dodge the attack, and the ball of negaforce hit hard, throwing her into the wall with the force of the explosion.

Not waiting for Sailor Moon to recover, Jadeite formed a powerful shield construct around himself and charged forward, his negawarrior senses telling him that Akonei was close behind, backing him up. Even as he entered the small dust cloud, a surprised yell from behind him made him turn, and the sight of Moon coming down on Akonei in a hard drop kick made him gape. He was certain that his attack would have stunned her, but there she was, attacking one of his senior staff youma mercilessly.

Akonei had no chance to really bring up a defense, and Sailor Moon was beating her badly. In an attempt to save the colonel, Jadeite formed another construct and threw a bolt of black lightning at the Moon bitch, hoping that it would at least distract her.

The lightning caught Sailor Moon in the back, and Jadeite smirked as the electricity played across the Senshi's body, doing much more than distracting her. The blonde girl shrieked and convulsed in pain, collapsing on the ground.

Rushing over to Akonei, the dark general gave the youma a quick once-over, and the prognosis was not good. The Dark Kingdom colonel was in bad shape with several broken places in her carapace and a great deal of lost ichor, but worse yet, her energy shield was dangerously low.

Even in the comparably hospitable environment of Tokyo, very few youma could survive without an energy shield at all. A youma's energy shield kept the ambient lifeforce of the Universe at bay, stopping it from annihilating with the youma's own negaforce. Akonei's shield was damaged beyond its ability to completely protect the youma, and even now tiny amounts of ambient planetary lifeforce were trickling in, causing the youma damage equivocal to spiritual radiation poisoning.

Stepping away from his loyal colonel, Jadeite quickly began to form a portal construct to transport Akonei back to the Dark Kingdom. However, a sound, a shout, from behind him stopped his progress cold, and the dark general felt a frigid chill as he heard the voice of Sailor Moon.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

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The remaining conscious man blasted Sailor Moon with a construct too complex for Ranma to yet understand, producing a bolt of black lightning, and she silently cheered as the devil hunter screamed and convulsed, falling to the floor. After seeing her annihilate yet another being, though perhaps not innocent, in such a painful way, seeing her get a little back was gratifying. Besides, she was a very cold and callous killer, in Ranma's opinion, even if the young negawarrior had respect for her skills.

Once the Senshi lay still, the man, probably a negawarrior, Ranma supposed since he hadn't transformed, rushed to the side of his badly beaten comrade, checking her wounds. However, this meant that he didn't see Sailor Moon once again rise from the floor. Even as Ranma watched, the Moon Senshi slowly pushed herself onto hands and knees, making no sound, and even as the pigtailed negawarrior grit her teeth against interfering, the blonde warrior pulled herself to her feet.

Finally, as Ranma watched her begin to raise her hand, obviously going for her tiara to finish off the injured youma, the red-haired girl could take no more. Forming the most powerful mana-shield construct she could in the limited amount of time available, she drew deeply from her mirror, infusing the construct with annihilation power.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon yelled as she released her tiara at the downed youma.

"NO!" came Ranma's answering cry, and she thrust her hand forward, interposing her shield construct between the tiara and the injured native of the Negaverse.

A blinding flash of light erupted from where the tiara struck Ranma's shield, and the pigtailed girl collapsed to her knees from the shockwave backlash of the moon weapon's impact. Shrieking, the tiara tore through the neophyte negawarrior's barrier, and a sharp pain burst inside Ranma's head as her shield construct shredded apart.

Resisting the pain with all her might, not an easy task, Ranma staggered off the landing of the stairs and out of the gym, making it only to an alleyway before collapsing into unconsciousness from the psychological stress and intense pain.

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Even as her tiara left her hands, Sailor Moon heard the shout of "NO!" from behind her, and then something entirely different than ever before happened. In a brilliant flash of light, her tiara struck something between her and the youma, but after a moment of ear-splitting sound, the tiara tore free and shot at the youma once more. However, its trajectory was changed by what ever had impeded it, and it only hit the youma's left arm, severing it above the elbow.

Even as Moon reached up to retrieve her returning tiara, the man who was helping the two youma lifted the injured creature and jumped through a rapidly forming black rift, the portal closing almost instantly behind him.

Left alone in the basement of the gym, Moon almost succumbed to her injuries right there, the only thing keeping her conscious being that she was still in an enemy stronghold. Carefully holding the deep gash in the flesh over her ribs, the charred superhero began a slow limp up the stairs and out of the now empty gym. Even as she walked out onto a strangely deserted street, Luna rushed up to her, fear obvious in the lunar guardian's eyes.

"Sailor Moon!" the black cat cried out. "Are you alright? Everyone cleared out when they started hearing explosions, and the police are on their way! We have to get out of here!"

Nodding weakly to her guardian, the Senshi of the Moon limped after Luna, but she only made it as far as the nearest alley before falling to her knees. "Luna," she groaned out, wincing from her injuries now that the adrenaline had fully run out. "I have to rest...I can't go any further."

With that, the superhero fell the rest of the way to the ground, blackness claiming her pained body and restless mind.

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The first thing Ranma noticed as she blinked awake was the sharp ache in her head, right behind her eyes. Wincing from the pain, she groaned, slowly beginning to move. Before she could do more, something touched her lightly on the shoulder, and a voice spoke out of the blurry void of the world.

"Easy now," the voice said in a quiet tone, though to her throbbing head it sounded louder. She groaned again, and the voice continued, soothingly. "I remember the first time someone used force to shred one of my constructs, and I bet that really hurts. Trust me, it gets better with time."

Freezing for a moment at the word "constructs," Ranma concentrated on her ki for a moment, using it to dull the pain and clear her mind. After a full minute of concentration, the pigtailed negawarrior finally opened her eyes and slowly sat up. Though she was certain that she had passed out in an alley, the rooftop where she now lay was obviously that of a skyscraper, and sitting on a low air conditioning unit about five feet away was the blonde negawarrior she'd seen back at the gym.

"Well," he said in that same quiet voice, seemingly harsh from habitual use rather than intent. "I wanted to make sure I thanked you for saving Colonel Akonei."

Ranma nodded her acknowledgement to the other negawarrior, replying, "I just couldn't watch her kill anyone else with that attack. How can she be so cruel? That attack is entirely too painful, too horrific, too.…" Ranma trailed off, trying in vain to think of an adequate word to describe Sailor Moon's final attack.

Looking up at her recent benefactor, the redhead asked, "By the way, who are you?"

Surprise registered on the blonde man's face, and he replied, "You helped even though you don't know who I am? Now that's something else."

Pausing a moment in thought, the shorthaired negawarrior finally answered her question. "My name is Jadeite, a general of the Dark Kingdom. I thought you were a human possessed by a youma, but now I know that's not the case. You aren't using any constructs to alter or hide your appearance, so that rules out a negalyte as well, and I know all the Kingdom's negawarriors. Who are you?"

Smiling as much as the dull pain in her head would allow, Ranma answered honestly. "The name's Saotome Ranma."

Surprise registered on Jadeite's face at her name, and he replied quizzically, "Nephrite kept referring to you as a 'he'."

Almost laughing, Ranma answered the obvious question. "I am a 'he'. I'm under a curse that changes my gender with hot and cold water. Hot and I'm a boy, cold and I'm a girl. Nephrite said it was divine magic, or something."

Jadeite leaned closer to the red-haired negawarrior, and Ranma saw him form a strange, convoluted sensory-style construct that she'd never seen before. Storing the pattern away for future use, the pigtailed girl stared guilelessly into the dark general's blue eyes. A moment later, Jadeite stepped back, chuckling to himself.

"What do you know," he mumbled, and then speaking in a louder voice, he continued. "Well, once again, I thank you for saving Akonei, but I know that Nephrite told you not to interfere in battles involving negaforce or mana. Sailor Moon could have killed you."

Putting a cocky grin on her face, even if she wasn't entirely confident in her skills, Ranma replied, "I can handle myself with my other skills; I'm a great unarmed fighter. Besides, like I said, I just couldn't stand to see her kill anyone else with that attack."

Jadeite nodded to the younger negawarrior, saying, "I can understand your feelings, but you should still heed Nephrite's orders. Sailor Moon has mana-based magic on her side, and that is just as potent as our constructs. I'm sure Nephrite demonstrated the power of our constructs to you during your training."

Reluctantly, Ranma acceded. "Alright, I'll try not to interfere again. But if she keeps using that attack and I'm in a position to stop her, I have to do something. My honor won't allow any other answer."

Studying her face for a moment, the blonde dark general sighed. "Well, I guess that's the best I'm going to get out of you, but you should ask your mentor for advice on the subject. At the very least, he can help you to learn how to minimize the pain from a destroyed construct."

"How is...what did you say her name was? Akinou?" Ranma asked as the dark general turned to leave.

Glancing back at his fellow negawarrior with a somewhat sad smile, Jadeite answered, "Akonei. Colonel Akonei. She was in intensive healing therapy when I left her at the medical center, but since I was able to get her there quickly, she is expected to live. There are some questions about her arm regeneration, but she will be alright, thanks to your action."

The pigtailed redhead just smiled, and after a moment more, Jadeite turned again and vanished in a flash of darkness.

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Sailor Moon slowly returned to consciousness, still in the alley where she'd passed out. Due to the Senshi's regenerative magic, her wounds were already mostly closed, and it seemed that the blonde's concussion was gone. Lying close by, Luna slept, her features seemingly worried even as she rested.

Sitting up, Moon winced at her sore muscles and stiff joints; that lightning attack had taken more out of her than she'd realized back during the fight. Her small groan of pain woke her black guardian, and the cat jumped into the Moon Senshi's lap, anxiety etched in her features.

"How are you feeling, Sailor Moon?" Luna asked in a concerned tone, her eyes still blinking her sleep away. "You looked awful when you came out of there."

Taking a moment to collect her thoughts and concentrate on further dulling her aching body, the superhero asked in reply, "How long was I out?"

Seeming to consider some hidden source of temporal knowledge, Luna answered, "About an hour. You needed it, too; your Senshi magic can heal your body quite a bit faster while you sleep."

Slowly, painfully, Moon used the building next to her to drag herself to her feet. "Come on, Luna," the Senshi said to the cat. "Let's go home."

Sailor Moon kept to the back alleys as she made her way home, worried that her body would just fall apart without the magic coursing through it. As she staggered toward home and bed, Luna spoke to her.

"What happened in there?" asked the lunar guardian. "You didn't look this bad even after yesterday's battles."

"There were three of them in there, Luna," Moon answered, her voice suffused with depression. "Is this how it's going to be? I couldn't save anyone, and even though I killed one of the youma, the other two got away. The battles just keep getting worse, and I can't do anything to help at all." The girl's voice cracked at that last, tears leaking from her eyes.

"I don't really know what to tell you, Sailor Moon," Luna replied in a soothing tone. "The Dark Kingdom is attacking far more fiercely than we thought possible. We just have to hold out until Central can awaken more Senshi."

With a dejected sigh, Moon decided not to answer. Overall, her body was tired and aching, her mind was hurt and exhausted, and all she really wanted was to get home and slip into a healing sleep. Even as she continued the torturously slow walk home, Moon prayed to the kami that everything would seem better after a little more rest.

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In a flash of dark power that rolled off his form like a black mist, Jadeite appeared at his periphery harvesting station in Shinjuku, a place that rather than draining and releasing people like the gym operation, the youma here outfitted humans for long-term trickle drain. By using constructs to keep the humans in an illusory fantasy world, similar to dreaming, and using a nutrient-rich liquid to keep the humans' strength up, they could continuously drain the subjects without killing them, a renewable resource to power the Dark Kingdom's war machine. Even as he arrived, the last five subjects transported here were assisted by youma into their new homes: the crystal harvesting cylinders.

Still, if Sailor Moon hadn't interfered, there would be many more. The pet shop operation was to gather two hundred fifty to three hundred subjects before shutting down, and the original termination of the gym operation was to net another three hundred. Instead, between the pet shop debacle and the premature shutdown of the gym, a bare eighty two subjects were ensconced in harvesting cylinders, a paltry number compared to the expected figures.

Jadeite grimaced as he considered Queen Beryl's probable reaction to these perceived failures, and he knew that when he confronted his queen, he needed to already have a new plan with some impressive potential. However, before he could really consider his options, a swirl of illusory cherry blossoms distracted him, causing the dark general to grimace once again. A visit from Zoisite would do that to any decent person.

Even as he appeared, the very bishonen negawarrior laughed in a maniacal, girlish manner, but Jadeite waited patiently for his fellow general to come to the point. "Hello, Jadeite," Zoisite greeted in a mocking tone. "I see you've been having some trouble. In fact, this isn't even a fifth of the subjects your entry report speculated. Something wrong?"

"Oh, there's nothing wrong, Zoisite," Jadeite gritted to the annoying man. "Just a couple of minor set backs. And how is your mission to find the ginzuishou going?"

Smirking sardonically, Jadeite reminded Zoisite of his own mission, and he was gratified to see the other dark general deflate a bit. "My mission is going fine, Jadeite," Zoisite replied icily. "I have several leads on that damn moon crystal, and—"

"None of them have panned out," Jadeite cut him off, his tone patronizing. "Perhaps you should go back and cry to Kunzite. I'm sure he doesn't like his boy-toy to be away for long."

Zoisite actually growled at that last statement, vanishing without another word, and Jadeite chuckled. It was entirely too easy to get under the extremely bishonen negawarrior's skin, but even as meager an accomplishment as that reaction was satisfying if it got the annoying man to leave him alone.

Pushing his amusement and Zoisite out of his mind, Jadeite returned to his original train of thought. 'Perhaps it's time for me to drop by research and development again,' he thought. 'They usually have something interesting.'

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Ranma, once again male, stepped out of the small kissa near his apartment building where he'd gotten some hot water. In the twilight of dusk, the city had just begun to light up, and the pigtailed boy found it quite enjoyable to walk in the cool evening air. He decided to wander a bit, considering what happened earlier in the day. Aside from learning a few more construct patterns, Ranma had gained some valuable experience regarding fighting a magical opponent, and meeting Jadeite was another unexpected but welcome experience.

As he wandered into the alleys that snaked between buildings, Ranma decided to try out a couple of his new constructs, and holding his hand out palm up, he formed his own slight modification on that youma's materialization construct, powering it with annihilation energy. It took a great deal more effort than the black-haired negawarrior had expected, but after about three full minutes of concentration and minor alterations to the construct, he finally materialized a small, smooth black stone in his hand. The ebony rock glittered in the lights coming from the end of the alley, and Ranma smirked, pleased with himself. Unfortunately, his concentration faltered with his self-congratulation, and the stone vanished.

Somewhat puzzled, Ranma tried again, and once more, the stone would only retain its existence while he concentrated on the construct's form and power. Finally letting the stone vanish for the final time, the neophyte negawarrior snapped his fingers; it obviously wasn't a permanent creation construct. That or he didn't know how to make the object permanent yet. He decided to ask Nephrite about it the next time he saw the elder negawarrior.

Turning toward home, Ranma quickly made his way back to the apartment building, and to his surprise, he noticed a familiar face also arriving at the building. "Hey!" he called out, waving to the person. "How's it going, Akane!"

The blue-black-haired girl turned as he called her name, and a beautiful smile graced her lips as she replied, "I'm alright, Ranma. How are you?"

"Doin' fine," he answered, smiling back. "What brings you here?"

Akane looked at him funny, saying, "I live here."

"Really?" Ranma asked, somewhat surprised by the coincidence. "Me too."

Akane laughed lightly, answering, "That's some coincidence. I'm on the twelfth floor, east side of the building. You?"

"Eleventh, west side."

Akane's face scrunched up in puzzlement for a moment, but the look faded into one of long-needed recognition. She snapped her fingers, exclaiming, "I knew there was something familiar about your name!"

"Huh?" the pigtailed boy replied intelligently.

"About two weeks ago, a woman showed up at our house looking for her husband and son," the longhaired girl replied brightly. "She said her name was Saotome Nodoka. Is she related to you?"

Ranma wrinkled his brow in deep though, wracking his brain to remember anyone named Nodoka that he might be related to. His initial search came up with a blank, but instead of remembering, he suddenly realized what was so familiar about her name. "Hey," he said. "I just realized what sounded so familiar about your name, too. I found a post card in my Oyaji's things addressed to a Tendo. Let's go up to my place and take a look at it."

"Um, okay," came Akane's seemingly reluctant reply, but Ranma didn't notice. That post card was related to the other letter he'd found, the one asking his mother to come to the Tendo dojo to meet them. A glimmer of possibility that this Saotome Nodoka was his mother was easily enough to get the pigtailed boy to investigate.

Leading the girl up to his apartment on the eleventh floor, Ranma gestured for her to take a seat on the couch while he ran back to his room, snagging his backpack and rummaging through it for the postcard and letter. A moment later, he returned to the living room and sat down next to Akane, his excitement overriding his close proximity to the girl.

"Here it is," he said to her, handing her the postcard and wondering why she was blushing. That was when he noticed that they were sitting so close together, and he embarrassedly jumped away, a blush now resting on his own features. "W—well, what do you think?"

Akane looked at the postcard, turning it over once or twice to study the whole thing. "This looks awfully familiar," she said at last. "My father received a post card just like this one, and he told my sisters and me that we were going to have guests, my father's best friend and his son. He was really upset when they didn't arrive."

Holding up the letter so that Akane could see it, Ranma replied, "There's more. This is a letter my dad never sent, addressed to my mom. In it, he asks her to meet us at the Tendo dojo."

Akane was silent for a moment for a moment before whispering, "That's our house, all right. But my dad went off with that woman to help her search. Before I moved here, he called telling us that they were going to search in China. That was where Saotome-obasan's husband last sent her a letter."

Finally, everything clicked in Ranma's mind, and he said, "They won't find anything there. Pops and I...we were attacked by this tribe of women. They...they killed him."

Akane's eyes went wide at the statement, and a few tears glistened, unshed in her brown orbs. "That's terrible, Ranma," she told him with real sympathy. "What happened?"

Ranma started telling his story, though he left out some of the worst events, like the Nekoken, the Jusenkyo curse, and his training as a negawarrior. It really felt good to tell someone about his life, and he sensed he could trust Akane, that she wouldn't betray him. By the time he was finished, it was late in the night and Akane was crying silently. Even Ranma had to admit, when it was told all at once, his life was pretty sad. Always training, never having any friends, never stopping for long enough to have a permanent home...never knowing his own mother. The training trip that had started when he was six and had ended with his father's death had been a hard way to grow up, and even with the glimmers of light that he'd told Akane about, his friends Ucchan and Ryoga, it was a long and lonely existence.

Sighing, Ranma looked at the clock, and the shock of the time stupefied him for a moment. "Um, Akane?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes Ranma?" she answered in a quiet, sad tone.

"Did you know that it's almost two in the morning?"

Akane jumped and almost screamed at the time. "Well, there goes a good night's sleep. Oh well, I think hearing your story was worth it, Ranma," she said warmly. "Still, we both need to get to sleep. It's going to be a long day at school tomorrow."

Ranma nodded in reply as he saw her to the door, saying, "I'll see you tomorrow, Akane."

"Oyasumi-nasai, Ranma," replied the Tendo daughter before dashing to the elevator.

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A smile once more on his face, Jadeite teleported away from his research and development section headquarters. Their latest innovation made him want to chuckle, and already, he was forming a plan that would use the new weapon, along with trapping and killing that dangerous Senshi.

Appearing in the antechamber to the throne room, the dark general approached the youma guards, but just as he was about to request an audience with the queen, one of the guards preempted him.

"You presence is requested and commanded by her majesty, General Jadeite" grated the yellow-furred skeleton.

Barely missing a beat, the blonde negawarrior nodded to the guard, replying, "Then I shall present myself before my queen."

Standing straighter as the huge, black crystal doors of the throne room swung ponderously open, Jadeite marched forward through the throngs of sycophants and courtiers, much the same thing in Jadeite's opinion. As he reached the throne, the dark general saluted Queen Beryl with fist over heart and dropped to one knee. "You commanded my presence, my queen?" he asked respectfully.

Raising an eyebrow, Beryl replied, "I have received some disturbing reports that you are failing in your mission, Jadeite. Report your status."

The command and disappointment in the Queen's voice was obvious to Jadeite, and he was compelled by the former and winced from the latter before making his report. "I have not failed, my queen, though there have been some set backs. A Senshi has appeared in Tokyo, and she is causing a great deal of disruption to my plans."

"It is not like you to make excuses, Jadeite," said Beryl, harsh and unyielding.

"I make no excuses, Queen Beryl," the dark general said quickly. "I am simply supplying the reason for the delay in my plans. In fact, I have just arrived from my research and development section, and they have provided me with a new weapon with which I can succeed beyond my mission requirements."

"Really?" asked the queen, skepticism dripping from her tone. "I would be most interested in such a weapon."

Smiling slightly, Jadeite confidently replied, "My researchers have discovered a way to imbed a construct into sound waves. Using this, we can affect anyone listening to the music with what ever construct we wish." He knew that he was leaving out the fact that it was exponentially more difficult to imbed constructs as they became more complex, but he knew that Queen Beryl was more interested in results than technicalities.

"Interesting," Queen Beryl said, finally sounding intrigued. "Very well then, you may proceed at your discretion. However, I tire of the amount of resources and lifeforce you are using in your plans, and I expect impressive results when next you report."

Recognizing a dismissal when he heard one, Jadeite bowed his head to his queen, replying, "Yes, Queen Beryl."

With a negligent flick of her wrist, Beryl allowed Jadeite to leave, and the gears in the dark general's mind were whirling rapidly as his new plan formed even as he walked out of the throne room.

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Author's notes:

I bet no one was expecting a quick update from me after the last wait, but it's really encouraging to see so large a response from a single chapter as I did from the last update. I guess it really helped me get over my writer's block. Not only that, but I'm really getting into the meat of the story now, so it's actually exciting to write it.

Now to take care of the possible notes of contention: I've made Usagi a pretty good hand-to-hand fighter, but don't forget that she's just letting her body do the work. Between her reincarnated soul and the Senshi magic, I figured that would make her pretty good. Ranma's assessment is right on the money.

Also, I'm sure that someone will have a problem with Ranma's shield shattering when hit by Usagi's tiara. Ranma had been learning shield constructs for two days at that point, but Usagi's tiara uses a set of pre-programmed spells to do its dirty work, so it has more to do with Usagi's mana-bind than any actual magical talent the girl possesses. If you think a negawarrior with two days of experience in that type of construct can face the power of a planetary mana-bind, you need to consider the analogy of a person who's been weight lifting for two days trying to bench press his own body weight. Some day he might be able to do it, but not with that little practice.

Now for all the people who feel betrayed by Akane's introduction. Don't fly off the handle; I'm not an Akane fanatic one way or the other. As I've mentioned to some of my pre-readers and in a few private review replies, I don't intend for Ranma to have any serious relationships right now. If it weren't for the engagements, Ranma wouldn't have had any relationships in canon, and now Genma isn't around to back up any of the engagements. I am, however, a firm believer that 99.9% of the problems between Akane and Ranma stem from the engagement and the sense of betrayal they both felt after the first episode/story in canon, so they will most likely get along pretty well without the pressure. Hiryo, you don't have to remove this one from your group; Akane isn't getting together with Ranma, at least, not in my plan. Sometimes I write the story, and sometimes the story writes itself.

One more quick thing: I've gotten a couple of reviews asking me why there are so many parts from the SM point of view if this is a Ranma fic, and I can answer that here. This fic is classified as a Ranma fic only because there is no specific Ranma/Sailor Moon crossover category on (that I've seen), and I didn't want to list this as an 'Anime Crossover' because I'm ONLY crossing Ranma and Sailor Moon (with maybe a cameo or two, but nothing important to the story). This fic is just as much about the Sailor Moon side as it is about the Ranma side, and I'm sorry if I gave anyone an impression otherwise.

Well, that seems to be about it. Thanks for reading, everyone. Later.


	12. Chapter 3 E4: Desperate Battles

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

Well, I promised to stop doing 'Shakespeare for the Fanfic Disclaimer', and I'm an author of my word. How about this instead?

Sun Tzu said (sort of): The art of the disclaimer is of vital importance to the fanfic author. It is a matter of money and bankruptcy, a road either to enjoyable comedy or boring legal text. Hence, it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

Okay, maybe that isn't any better...

Chapter Three: Dreaming in Moonlight

Episode Four: Desperate Battles

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The darkness shimmered in a little-used supply closet at the Minato ward studios for InterFM Tokyo, and after a short time, a black rift opened. From this rift, four figures made their way to defensive positions in the cramped room, and with its passengers deposited at their destination, the portal shimmered once more and vanished into the lighter darkness of the room. The clutter of dusty, unused equipment seemed to mask sounds, and it was no different when one of the figures began to speak.

"You all know the plan," said a figure dressed in grey, his voice somehow sounding both mild and forceful, even in the muting darkness. "We have fifteen minutes to complete this phase of the operation, and I expect no screw ups."

The other three figures, female by their silhouettes, nodded curtly at the orders, and without further communication, the four soldiers smoothly exited the storeroom into the brightly lit corridors of the radio station. Moving with the ease of people intimately familiar with an area, the squad walked quickly and efficiently to the main broadcast studio. One of the women peered through the small window in the metal door that led to the currently operational broadcasting booth control room, and after informing her compatriots of the situation with hand signals, the figures got into position. Opening the door and ignoring the protests of the room's occupants, the three females fanned out, and in a burst of dark energy, the five radio employees were lying on the floor, unconscious.

With quick efficiency, the grey-clad figure moved past the downed humans and to a door at the other end of the room, the glow of the 'On the Air' sign shining red above. Glancing at one of the women, now seated at a control station, the figure waited for her signal, and almost as soon as he looked, she nodded that the broadcasting booth microphone was cut off. Without any further delay, the man entered the booth and, in a similar flash of dark power, rendered the DJ insensate.

Consulting the clock above the now unconscious DJ, the male figure nodded to the other three. "Good," he told them. "Now get the equipment ready for our debut."

Once more moving with the quiet efficiency of those who commonly work with such equipment, the three females cleared the area of its normal staff and set up the equipment to end the last song right at midnight. Just as the new day began, the figure in grey sat down before the microphone and spoke to Tokyo over the airwaves for the first time, his voice low and intimate. "It's the midnight hour, and I'd like to welcome you to our new program. I'm your host, Jay Daitou, and this is Midnight Zero."

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The glittering sunlight shining in from the window through its spread, white curtains caused Usagi to clench her eyes, trying with all her being to resist the sun's pull toward consciousness. Her bruised body still ached from the previous day's battle, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep away her pains. Unfortunately for her wishes, a certain small black cat must have known that it was a school day because after only a minute or two of resistance, the blonde girl felt the slight weight of her moon guardian standing on her stomach.

"Usagi," Luna said, her voice sounding painfully loud to Usagi's sleep-fogged brain. "It's a school day, and you do need to go to class. Not only do you need to learn, but we also can't have you acting abnormally. What if the Dark Kingdom noticed?"

Moaning from such a large assault of logic so early in the morning, the blonde teen finally admitted defeat and opened her eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight. A brief glance at the clock revealed that she was actually up earlier than her usual dash to school, so much so that she could actually enjoy a bath before her trip to the learning institution. However, she wasn't quite convinced that it was worth it. "But I'm still so tired and sore, Luna," she whined at the cat, wincing as she tried to stretch. "Can't I sleep for just a little longer?"

The black cat looked at her sympathetically, but her words brooked no opposition. "I know you've been fighting hard the past few days, but you still have to go to school."

Usagi slowly rose from her bed and made her way sleepily to the bathroom, amazed that it was actually free. Maybe a nice relaxing bath was just what her sore muscles needed, though she would never admit it to Luna that the moon cat was right.

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"Good morning, Ranma!" a cheery, feminine voice called out, and the pigtailed negawarrior looked up from the musings of his morning walk to school. Considering that he was only just outside his apartment building, the list of females who would call out to him was pretty narrow.

"Morning, Akane," he replied to the raven-haired girl. "How's it going?"

Tendo Akane scowled for a moment, saying, "Well, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night." However, the look of annoyance was brief, and she brightened almost immediately as she continued speaking. "But that's okay. I can survive a night or two without a full night's rest. How are you this morning?"

Ranma smiled back, unconcerned with Akane's brief show of temper. "Pretty much the same."

"Say Ranma," Akane asked. "Why aren't you wearing a school uniform?"

Ranma glanced down at his current attire, a green silk Chinese tunic and loose black pants tied at the ankles, then shrugged. "I like wearing this. It's comfortable and I can fight in it."

"But won't you get in trouble?"

Ranma shrugged again, answering in an unconcerned tone, "It'll be alright."

After taking her own turn shrugging, Akane turned toward Juuban High, and Ranma hopped lightly to the fence top, following the brown-eyed girl. After about two minutes of walking in silence, the dark-haired boy heard Akane say, "Ranma?"

"What's up?" he replied, continuing his walk.

"Why are you walking on the fence?"

"Balance practice," Ranma answered, his voice serious, but then he grinned, glancing down at his new friend. "And it's a lot of fun. You should try it some time."

Akane shrugged yet again, a dubious look on her face, and beyond that the two were silent as they continued on their way to school. As they reached the halfway point to Juuban High, another cheerful voice called for the two students' attention. "Good morning Ranma," the voice of his red-haired friend, Furuhata Unazuki, called out. "Hey Akane!" The two students paused to let Unazuki catch up, greeting her as she approached.

"Hey guys," the redhead said after exchanging morning pleasantries with the other two, "would you like to do something after school? My parents owe me a day off after making me work yesterday."

Ranma grinned at the suggestion, asking, "What do you guys wanna do?"

"You said you're a martial artist, right Ranma?" Akane asked, seeming just a little nervous. "Maybe we could go to the park and have a little match?"

The pigtailed negawarrior shrugged at the suggestion, a little uncomfortable with accepting a title he no longer thought he held. Still, it didn't sound like a bad idea, so he replied, "I'm game if Unazuki doesn't mind. I don't think she's a fighter."

"Hey," Unazuki said, her voice as enthusiastic as ever. "I won't turn down watching a good fight, even if I don't fight myself. After that, why don't we get something to eat?"

Smiling and noting Akane's nod, Ranma answered, "Sounds like we have a plan."

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Jadeite watched the Terran studio employees go about their normal daily routines with some pity and some disgust, the two feelings stemming from the same source. 'They don't even know there's a war going on...' he thought, 'and we can't let them know until we've already won. It's too hard to send enough youma to Terra to counter the mundane military as well as the Senshi at this point.'

Deciding to focus more on the plan than the unfortunate nature of their war on Terra, Jadeite shifted his viewing crystal to another room. In that room, choked with envelopes, one of his youma stood, disguised as a human, with a studio manager. "We don't have a show called Midnight Zero!" came the thin voice of the shift manager. "I don't know where all this mail is coming from."

Another youma, posing as a producer for the studio, entered the room and said, "Don't worry about this mail. I'll take care of it."

The one real human in the room looked dubiously at the youma, disguised as a woman in a dark green business suit, but he didn't argue. After staring at the increasing pile of letters for a moment, he silently left the mailroom.

Now satisfied that his youma had the plan well in hand, the dark general turned away from the monitoring station and its crystalline viewers, content to allow his third youma to continue the surveillance. Instead, in a flash of dark energy, Jadeite vanished from Terra and appeared in his research and development section headquarters near Dark Moon.

Even as the excess power from the transport rolled off his grey uniform, his temporary adjutant while Akonei was healing raced up, and Jadeite struggled to remember the young staff officer's name even as he cut off what ever the green-skinned youma was about to say. "Major...Maroko, what's the status of Project Waveforce?"

The adjutant blinked her yellow, cat-like eyes, confused for a moment before replying, "Oh, that's the tape thingy, right?"

Jadeite closed his eyes for a moment, dearly wishing Akonei were still able to perform her duties. Temporary replacements tended to be so inefficient, but he checked his temper, reminding himself that this youma wasn't normally in this position. "Yes, it's the 'tape thingy'."

Seemingly oblivious to the general's mild irritation, Maroko reached into a pocket of her jumpsuit and pulled out a small crystal. "I just got the report from the head researcher. He thinks it will take a few more days to finish a prototype."

Evoking a small construct, Jadeite read the latest report from Dr. Merul, noting the setbacks in the project. "A few more days..." he muttered darkly. "Well, I'll just have to find a way to keep Sailor Moon worn down while he finishes his work."

Looking back at the major, the blonde negawarrior said, "Thank you, Major. Carry on."

Maroko saluted Jadeite and turned smartly back toward her small office, a smile on her face. The negawarrior put thoughts of inefficiencies and temporary replacements out of his mind, teleporting to his primary office in Dark Moon. Normally, his adjutant would go with him, but Project Waveforce was more important than having an administrative assistant next to him at all times.

Arriving, Jadeite powered a communication construct. "Captain Tetis, report."

In a swirl of blue energy, an aqua-haired, blue-skinned negalyte appeared before him, saluting and saying, "What are your orders, Master Jadeite?"

"I need you to go to Terra and distract Sailor Moon," answered the dark general. "Just cause a lot of damage, drain some lifeforce, and capture as many Terrans as possible. When Sailor Moon arrives, you may engage her, but don't worry about defeating her. Just get out of there."

Tetis scowled at the orders, replying, "I'm in Spec Ops and you don't think I can take her?! That bitch has killed four youma already, and I want to see her pay!"

Narrowing his eyes at the slight insubordination, Jadeite growled, "It's not a matter of whether you can take her or not; I'm not going to lose a valuable soldier like you in a distraction operation! You are under specific orders to keep a teleport construct ready to escape at all times during this operation, and if she even comes close to getting the upper hand, you WILL use it!"

Setting her jaw, the negalyte captain nodded curtly. "Yes sir."

Allowing his anger to subside, Jadeite continued in his normal, calm voice, "Captain, we will get vengeance for the fallen later. Right now, we need to think about the mission."

The tension draining from her continence, Tetis replied, "Yes sir."

"Dismissed," said Jadeite, and after saluting her superior, the negalyte vanished in much the same way she had arrived.

After Tetis left, Jadeite sat down to think, but a stray thought, not his own, interrupted his musings. 'Jadeite, I have been reviewing your plans,' said the voice of Queen Beryl in his mind. 'While I approve, I require that you draw some energy from this 'Midnight Zero' operation prior to its primary objective.'

Jadeite grimaced at that idea. 'Your Majesty,' he thought back to his Queen. 'If we tip our hand on project Waveforce—'

'I will brook no argument on this matter, Jadeite,' the Queen's cold, vicious tone cut him off. 'Gain enough energy in the interim to satisfy me...or do you willfully defy me?'

Shivering at the Queen's ire, Jadeite quickly acquiesced. 'Of course not, your Majesty. It will be as you command.'

Even as her presence faded from his mind, the dark general clenched his jaw. If Project Waveforce failed because of the Queen's demand, he would still be held responsible for its failure. Digging through the numerous constructs in his repertoire, Jadeite decided on a very small draining construct easily fitted to an object, hopefully too small for easy detection.

Thinking for a moment, he used a materialization construct to call into existence several black corsages, and after imbuing each with an energy-draining construct, he decided to give these as prizes for having a letter read on Midnight Zero. That would satisfy the Queen's requirement. The problem solved, a smile of satisfaction slowly spread over his chiseled features. 'If I can keep Sailor Moon off balance and distracted, maybe even injure her, then my other plans will draw her in and I won't have to worry about her stumbling onto Midnight Zero.'

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The bath had done a surprisingly good job of removing many of Usagi's aches, but the rabbit girl was still very tired. Even with the cheering news relayed by her mother that morning, that Naru was getting out of the hospital that afternoon, Usagi had a hard time making it through the day.

In homeroom, Usagi had noticed, through the haze of her exhaustion, that many of the students were talking about a new radio show on InterFM, and at lunch she cornered Umino about it. Even as she walked slowly toward home, she replayed the somewhat strange conversation in her mind.

"U—U—Usagi-san..." Umino had stammered, still nervous and ashamed in her presence, she supposed. "What can I do for you?"

It really looked like he wanted to bolt, his back against the brick wall of the school, and the blonde teen stood in front of him. "Tell me about that new radio program," she answered in a sweet voice. "I think it's called...Darknight Ten?"

"I think you mean Midnight Zero," the nerdish boy answered, his voice suddenly calm since this was business. "It's a new radio program on InterFM, and the host, Jay Daitou, reads love letters on the air. The show only plays for about ten minutes every night at midnight, but the host promised a special prize for actually having your love letter read on the air."

After that, she'd let Umino escape, and for the rest of the day, Usagi couldn't get thoughts of Midnight Zero out of her mind. It just sounded so romantic to have a love letter read on the air at midnight, and the blonde's lack of a boyfriend compounded with her exhaustion to make her depressed. In fact, she was so busy moping that she forgot to look where she was going.

"Hey odongo atama," said an annoyed, masculine voice. "Watch where you're going!"

Unfortunately, there wasn't time for Usagi to stop, and she still ran straight into Mamoru as he was talking to Motoki outside the Crown Game Center.

"Gee," Mamoru continued as his blonde friend steadied Usagi. "Are you blind as well as clumsy?"

Even irritated as she was by the verbal barb, Usagi was too depressed and exhausted to rise to the taunt. Sighing, she made to walk away from the two men. However, Motoki said, "Usagi, what's wrong?"

"I'm just tired, Motoki," the blonde teen answered, smiling faintly. "It's nothing."

Putting a hand to his chin in thought, the blonde man replied, "Well, why don't you come in and have some ice cream, on the house. Maybe that'll cheer you up."

Little hearts appeared in Usagi's eyes even as Mamoru said, "I'll see you later, Motoki. And you really shouldn't encourage little brats like that."

The junior high school girl glared at Mamoru, scowling, but the black-haired man just waved jauntily and walked off. Putting jerks out of her mind, Usagi turned back to Motoki, and as he ushered her into the Game Center, the hearts returned, especially when he mentioned that he was on break. The blonde teen quickly lost herself in a daydream where she was on a date with Motoki, and the glimmerings of a plan to get a letter on Midnight Zero formed as she stared at her handsome booth mate and began eating her first ice cream sundae.

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"I guess I really should stop by the restaurant..." Unazuki said in a tone far from her usual cheerful one, "but my parents better not make me work again."

Unazuki, Ranma, and Akane were walking home from another boring day at school, and Unazuki was a little more than leery about stopping by the Crown. She really didn't want to miss the sparring match between Ranma and Akane, but her sense of responsibility wouldn't allow her to skip asking her parents if they needed her. Besides, she felt like a snack.

"Don't worry about it, Unazuki," said Ranma companionably. "I'm sure we'll spar more than once."

Both of her new friends had been discussing martial arts at every break during the day, and Unazuki was honestly feeling a little left out. Sure, she'd taken some karate lessons when she was younger, but they were both on a whole different level than her. It seemed like martial arts were the center point in both of their lives, and the redhead was feeling just a little jealous.

"I know," Unazuki replied, forcing a small amount of cheerfulness back into her voice. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

Arriving at the Crown, Unazuki led Ranma and Akane up to the Parlor and headed for the kitchen, telling them to sit anywhere. As she entered the restaurant's brightly lit cooking area, the redhead greeted her mother. "Hi, Okaasan."

An older red-haired woman answered her in a cheerful voice. "How was school, Unazuki-chan?"

"It was fine," the younger redhead replied. "I was hoping you didn't need me to wait tables today since I had plans with some friends."

Smiling, Unazuki's mother said, "Actually, everyone made it to work today, so you can go have fun. Just don't be out too late."

Brightening instantly, the high school freshman gave her mom a quick hug. "Thanks, Okaasan. I'll see you later."

Practically skipping out of the kitchen, Unazuki looked around for her friends, a bright smile once more gracing her face. After a moment of looking, she spied Ranma and Akane sitting at a booth across from her brother and a young blonde girl Unazuki hadn't seen in some time.

"Hi, Usagi-chan!" The redhead waved to her younger friend as she walked over, but she was somewhat alarmed at the girl's tired expression and the way she slowly ate her ice cream. "What's the matter?"

"She's just really tired," Motoki answered for the younger girl. "As far as I can tell, she was up late last night, right Usagi?"

"Huh?" Usagi answered intelligently, looking up for the first time. "Oh, hi Unazuki."

Unazuki took a seat next to Ranma. "You look really out of it, Usagi-chan," the redhead said, concern filling her voice. "I really think you should head home and at least take a nap."

Usagi nodded absently as she ate another spoon-full of ice cream and fudge, and Unazuki continued to get more concerned. Eating ice cream slowly was just so unlike Usagi.

"Well," said Motoki, "I was trying to introduce your friends to Usagi, but I don't think today's a good day."

"Don't worry about it," Ranma said. "We'll just have to do introductions some other time."

"Let's go over to that park, then," Akane suggested, and her two friends swept Unazuki out of the restaurant, her snack forgotten in their rush to go spar.

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Akane watched Unazuki and Ranma as the redhead led them to the park on Tenth Street. While Akane had mixed feelings about sparring with a boy, she could already tell that her skills were slipping from only three days lack of practice. Without the morning fights and Kuno to hone her skills, she felt like she was getting out of shape and losing her edge.

Even though Akane had been the best martial artist in Nerima, she wondered about her pigtailed friend's skills. After hearing his life story, she had to admit that he would have to be very, very good...maybe as good as she was. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a small voice tried to warn her against underestimating him, telling her that his training was much more rigorous than her own, but she suppressed it. Tendo Akane was the best martial artist in Nerima, and even if Ranma were as good as her, she would give him a good fight.

As the three friends arrived at the park, the youngest Tendo surveyed the damage caused by the riot two days previous, the clean-up crews having yet to reach this area. That was, as she understood it, why Unazuki chose this place. None of them wanted a crowd of spectators for the sparring match.

Unazuki led them past the major damage and the destroyed gypsy wagon, making their destination a small copse of trees with a clearing in the middle. The red-haired girl stepped to one side as Ranma stretched a bit, and Akane walked a little distance away to change into her gi.

A few minutes later, the Tendo heir returned to the clearing wearing her yellow practice gi, and Ranma stood patiently, waiting for the fight to begin.

"Okay, guys," called Unazuki from the sidelines. "Remember that this is just a practice match. Ready? Begin!"

Akane immediately dropped into a stance, but she blinked as Ranma just stood there, smiling faintly. Deciding that he was inviting her to attack first, the raven-haired girl took a couple of cautious steps forward and led off with a light, testing jab.

Ranma just leaned back a little, dodging the blow by mere millimeters, and Akane's estimation of his skill went up a couple of notches. 'He's fast,' she thought grimly, knowing that speed had never been her strongest suit.

Following the jab, Akane feinted a crescent kick and went for a reverse punch to the kidney, but once again Ranma simply swayed to avoid her blows. It was like fighting a wisp of smoke, and since her attacks had yet to even connect, Akane's temper began to rise, quickly getting the better of her. 'Is he reading my moves?!' she thought incredulously.

Finally, after several more attacks, Akane yelled, "This time for real!" Focusing her ki, the Tendo heir rushed forward at twice her normal speed, her fist faintly glowing red.

There was a satisfying crack, but it was not Ranma that she struck, and looking up from where her hand was imbedded in the trunk of a tree, she saw Ranma lightly bounce off of the tree to land behind her. A light tap on the back of her head ended the match, much to her annoyance. Ranma was extremely good...and as much as she didn't want to admit it, he was better than she was.

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Unazuki's eyes widened as Akane raced toward Ranma, the pigtailed boy seemingly unconcerned. Even as she thought, 'this is practice??' Ranma dodged her punch with blinding speed. Thinking back to the karate lessons she'd taken when she was younger, Unazuki recognized Akane's attack as a simple jab, but it was performed with more speed than the redhead had ever seen. On top of that, Ranma had just leaned back a little to dodge the blow, the youngest Furuhata barely seeing him move. Unazuki shook her head in wonder; these two were absolutely amazing.

Even as she watched, Akane's attacks got faster and stronger, the Tendo heir's body moving fluidly through an intricate dance meant for destruction. Unazuki had to concentrate very hard not to miss some of the girl's moves, and between feints, strikes, kicks, and punches, the redhead could barely keep up with the fight.

Ranma, on the other hand, barely moved, but what little movement he made was at least three times Akane's speed. Unazuki had a hard time even seeing when he moved. It was obvious that Akane was getting angry, and Furuhata couldn't blame her. Ranma had yet to even remove his hands from behind his back!

Finally, it seemed that Akane had had enough. "This time for real!" the girl in the yellow gi yelled, and Unazuki's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as Akane's fist glowed a faint red. The redhead's mouth fell open even as the Tendo heir raced forward at at least double her previous speed, and the sudden crack at the end made her think Ranma might be seriously hurt.

When Unazuki's eyes finally caught up with the fight, she was amazed at the sight. Akane had her hand buried up to the wrist in the trunk of a tree, and Ranma was just landing behind her to tap her on the back of the head. She rushed over to her two friends since the match was obviously over.

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Ranma watched as Akane approached cautiously, evaluating her style. 'Slow opening,' he thought pensively, 'but then again, I am a new opponent.'

After he dodged her initial jab, he considered her follow-up. 'She's telegraphing her moves, but I can't tell if she's doing it intentionally. That feint was completely transparent, and she still seems to be testing me, going slowly.'

As the match progressed and he saw the look of concentration and growing irritation on Akane's face, he finally understood. 'She's going at top speed?' he thought unhappily. 'She's just barely in my skill class, but Akane's definitely at the bottom and I'm at the top. I guess I won't get a good sparring partner out of her after all.'

Suddenly, Akane yelled, "This time for real!" and Ranma saw her take control of her ki. A slight smile came to his lips as the Tendo girl's speed doubled and her fist glowed red. 'At least she knows how to boost her ki beyond simple speed and strength enhancement,' he thought, a little less disappointed in his opponent. 'She has potential, but it looks like no one pushed her to reach it. Oh well, I'll be damned if I use any of Oyaji's stupid training methods, no matter how much potential she has.'

Ranma absently jumped over Akane's final attack, and bouncing off the tree, he landed behind her, ending the match with a light tap on the back of the girl's raven-haired head. Akane was almost shaking with anger as she extracted her fist from the tree, but Ranma laughed and said, "Good match, Akane."

Thankfully, Akane's anger quickly bled off with the compliment, and she joined Ranma in his laughter. "You're really good!" she exclaimed finally. "I guess your training trip really paid off."

"I guess so," Ranma replied, embarrassed by her compliment. "But it was a crappy way to grow up."

Akane sobered with that comment, answering, "Yeah."

Just then, Unazuki raced up, exclaiming, "You two are really, really awesome! How on earth did you learn to do that??"

Ranma scratched the back of his head, explaining embarrassedly, "It's just a buncha training. Before I came here, I was on a training trip with my Pop for ten years."

"Wow," replied the redhead, amazement clearly written in her expression.

"Okay, Ranma," Akane said. "Why don't we go again, and this time you attack first?"

"Umm...uh..." Ranma stammered, but he was saved from trying to deny his friend's request by the sound of an explosion. "What the heck was that?!"

The three high schoolers raced toward the plume of smoke rising over the trees.

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Having sensed a new dark presence in the city, Luna cast a location spell and met Usagi just as her charge was leaving the Crown Center. Beckoning her girl into a nearby alley, Luna said, "Usagi, there's something dark coming."

The blonde sometime superhero's face, which had been looking remarkably better after talking with Motoki, fell back into an exhausted and depressed expression. "Won't they ever stop, Luna," she asked the black cat, a couple of tears running silently down her cheeks. "I just can't keep this up."

Luna looked at her charge with a great deal of concern. "You must be strong, Usagi," the moon guardian replied. "Innocent people are counting on you."

Usagi sighed and reached for her brooch, Luna seeing more resignation in her eyes than determination. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

A brief light show later, Sailor Moon stood before Luna, and the small cat could already see the transformation's magic revitalizing the girl, though she still had a resigned look in her eyes.

"Alright, Luna," she said in a flat voice. "Where is the new monster?"

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Ranma, Unazuki, and Akane found the source of the explosion just down the street from Juuban High: a woman with cyan hair, pale blue skin, and slate grey eyes lacking both cornea and pupil. Covering the woman's body was a sleek, crystalline suit of armor with long spikes rising diagonally from the back of the shoulders, armor almost certainly made of ice. The woman was throwing icicles fairly indiscriminately, though she hit none of the humans. The explosion had come from a smoldering car, and as the three high schoolers watched, another parked car exploded, an icicle penetrating its gas tank.

Feeling the negaforce, Ranma formed his sensory constructs and powered them, wincing at the sudden pain and dropping them in surprise. Trying to figure out why it hurt to activate the constructs, the neophyte negawarrior looked into his reserves...and found them empty! He hadn't 'hunted' since getting back to Japan, and now he was burning his own ki to power the constructs.

Ranma hadn't wanted to 'hunt' at all, but he understood it as a necessary part of being a negawarrior. If he didn't gain additional ki from somewhere, the negaforce would annihilate his own aura. As unhappy as he was with the idea of draining others, he knew he would have to do so. In the mean time, Ranma watched the battle with unaided senses, tense to carry his friends to safety should the woman or the now approaching Senshi get too close.

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Tetis grabbed another human with blinding speed and launched him through the black rift behind her, topping off her reserves before sending him to a harvesting center. Being a negalyte in Jadeite's Special Forces Division, she was very adept at using constructs in combat, and such a feat as draining some lifeforce in mid-action was simple to her. Another volley of icicles caused two more cars to explode and knocked a fire hydrant over, resulting in a spectacular column of water spraying from the street. The special operations captain smiled at her handiwork as she absently plucked another cowering human up and tossed him into the void.

"Hold it!" cried a voice from beside the column of water, and Tetis turned to see a blonde girl in a white body suit and extremely short blue mini skirt standing there in a ridiculous pose. The rainbow effect from the artificial geyser just completed the image. "People shouldn't have to fear going out during the day, and streets are public places for everyone! I am the beautiful sailor suited girl fighter, Sailor Moon, and I will punish you!"

'What kind of idiot is this little bitch?' the cyan-haired negalyte thought, disgusted. 'Who gives up their surprise advantage to make some corny speech, and then she just stands there. I can't believe I'm under orders to run away from—'

Suddenly, Tetis doubled over with the Senshi's fist buried in her gut, and her opinion of Moon rose a great deal, especially as the blonde superhero followed up with a crescent kick to her head. The dark captain flew across the street, slamming into a car with enough force to majorly dent the door. Dazed, Tetis almost didn't hear Sailor Moon start her attack. "Moon Tiara-"

"No!!" yelled the downed negalyte, and she threw a volley of icicles at Moon, forcing the Senshi to dodge and disrupting her attack. "I will not be beaten by some little moon bitch!!"

Two more volleys of icicles later, Tetis had yet to hit Sailor Moon, but she smiled regardless.

"What are you so happy about, monster?!" Moon yelled. "You haven't even hit me yet!"

Chuckling, Tetis threw two more volleys of icicles simultaneously, one to either side of Moon, and while the Senshi was boxed in, the ice negalyte unleashed a greater construct at Sailor Moon, a ray of pure cold.

"Take this!" Tetis shouted at her opponent, and just as the negalyte had hoped her enemy would do when denied side movement, Moon dodged backward...directly into the towering fountain made from the hydrant's destruction. And then the beam of cold struck the water.

"Aaagh!" cried Sailor Moon as half her body was frozen into the new column of ice, and the negalyte started forward, a blade of frozen water vapor forming over her right hand.

"Finally," Tetis said as she raised the blade to decapitate the superhero. "I can get revenge for those you've killed."

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Moon's eyes widened as the enemy approached, and she struggled futilely against her icy restraints. Something was different about this enemy; she didn't feel like the other youma she'd faced, nor did she seem like the man at the gym. Of course, all this was academic since the woman was about to kill her.

The Senshi of the Moon squeezed her eyes shut as the blade descended, but a strange whizzing sound caused her to look up...just in time to see a red rose lance through the youma's sword, shattering the ice. The rose continued on its course until its green stem buried into her frozen prison, and with a horrible cracking crash, the entire column shattered, covering the street in chunks of ice.

Sailor Moon hit the ground hard, and several large chunks of ice from higher in the frozen fountain hit her prone form. Dazed and shivering, Moon almost didn't see the three more roses that came from nowhere to bracket the ice monster, but the creature's screams were unmistakable. The power emanating from the triangle of roses slammed the creature into the ground, cracking her armor, and with a flourish of his black cape, the source of her rescue made himself known.

"Never give up, Sailor Moon," the mysterious tuxedo-clad man encouraged her. "We are the side of good, and good will always triumph over evil."

Rising from the ground and steadying herself, Moon nodded firmly to her savior, and then, turning back to where the enemy was writhing on the ground, she began her attack. "Moon Tiara Action!"

The tiara shot at the creature, but at the last moment, the ice woman vanished in a weak flash of dark energy. Without a target, Moon's tiara vanished, returning to her forehead.

"Thank you," the Senshi began, turning to where the mysterious man had been, but he was already gone.

----------------------------------

"Damn..." exclaimed an amazed Ranma, and neither Akane nor Unazuki could do anything beyond nod their heads in agreement with his statement.

Dazed, though one for different reasons, the three teens walked away from the battlefield just after Sailor Moon vanished into an alley further down the street. Ranma was definitely glad that the ice woman had escaped, and though she'd caused a lot of destruction, it didn't look like she'd killed anyone. Maybe he'd ask Nephrite about her later.

"Well, why don't we go get some dinner then," Unazuki suggested weakly, and neither Ranma nor Akane could think of any reason not to, their sparring match forgotten in the face of the battle.

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Tetis reappeared in the Shinjuku harvesting center, gasping for breath on the ground. A youma assigned to the station yelped in surprise and rushed over to help the ice negalyte, her leathery skin creaking as she moved.

"Captain Tetis!" cried the youma, her words lisping due to sharp teeth and a forked tongue. "Are you alright?! What happened?"

Tetis groaned, leaning heavily. "That Moon Senshi happened..." she answered, exhausted. Looking up at the youma, she recognized her as Corporal Kinja. "Do you have a communication crystal here, Corporal? I don't have enough energy at this point to form that construct."

"Of course, Captain," Kinja replied, and after helping Tetis over to a seat, the youma corporal rushed off to her office to retrieve the crystal.

'What kind of insane attack hit me?' Tetis thought, still dazed. 'It was like some kind of disruptive magnetic field. It felt like it was trying to tear me apart, one atom at a time…'

Before she could finish that train of thought, Kinja returned with communication crystal. Nodding her thanks, the negalyte keyed the crystal to contact Jadeite while Kinja busied herself with station upkeep tasks.

'This is Jadeite,' general's voice said in her mind. 'Report, Tetis.'

'Mission complete, Master Jadeite,' she thought back to him. 'I retreated, as ordered. In fact, if I hadn't had that teleport construct ready, she would have killed me.'

'I'm glad you're alright, and now you see why I ordered you to be ready to retreat,' replied the general.

'Actually,' the negalyte captain returned, 'I had Sailor Moon on the ropes, but she had help.'

'What?!' exclaimed an incredulous Jadeite. 'Another one already? This is not good.'

'Sir, I'm not sure this one is a Senshi,' Tetis replied. 'For one thing, this one's male, and I thought that all the Senshi were female. The Moon Kingdom was a matriarchy...at least according to the briefing.'

'Hmm,' said Jadeite thoughtfully. 'I'll have to look into this one. Good work, Tetis. How are your injuries?'

Tetis took a moment to examine herself before replying, 'Nothing a day in the medical center and a reserve recharge won't cure.'

'Good,' Jadeite approved. 'Report to me again after you are back to full strength. I'll call the medical center ahead of you to get you priority treatment, and you can go ahead and recharge where you are.'

'Yes sir. Captain Tetis out.'

----------------------------------

Sailor Moon collapsed against one wall of the alley, shivering. She was so tired after that battle, and it seemed that her fighting became less and less effective as time went on. This time, her enemy had escaped as well.

"Are you alright, Sailor Moon?" asked her moon guardian. "We certainly are lucky that tuxedo person arrived when he did."

"So I've gone from defeating two youma alone in one day to needing a rescue and botching the finishing move when he hands it to me on a silver platter, now..." Moon muttered, dejectedly. "Some superhero I turned out to be."

Looking down at Luna, the blonde Senshi could see the concern in the cat's eyes. "Don't look at it like that, Sailor Moon," said the lunar cat. "The enemy seems to be attacking you with more and more powerful foes. This one was several times stronger than any that I've seen you face, and you have to remember that she ran from you."

Moon sighed. "I guess you're right, Luna," she replied. "Well, I'm going to stay transformed for a while. Naru gets out of the hospital in about two hours, and I want to be there to see her."

"Alright, Sailor Moon, but you should find a place with better cover."

Nodding in agreement with the moon cat, Sailor Moon scooped Luna into her arms and leapt to the roof of the building behind her.

----------------------------------

After eating a good dinner at the Crown Parlor and begging off walking back to the building with Akane, Ranma went out to hunt. Much as he disliked this part of being a negawarrior, the pigtailed boy knew that he would always have to do it. Becoming a negawarrior was completely irreversible, not that he would change back if he had the chance. Despite the distasteful portions, he liked being a negawarrior, all in all.

Much as he had done in China to keep his reserves up during Nephrite's training, Ranma headed for the less savory areas of the city near Tokyo Harbor, intent on finding some thugs and thieves that he could offer a good night's sleep. On the way, he snagged a cup of cold water, and in an alley, he changed himself into a more inviting target.

Once at the harbor, the small redhead began wandering, and as she had come to expect, there were three men stalking her no more than five minutes after she started. Walking slowly enough to let them keep up, she started acting scared, and as their footsteps increased in speed, Ranma increased her pace. Finally, spying a dark, dead end alley, she ducked in and faced her unwitting prey.

The three of them were ugly, old sailors, probably off one of the fishing boats she'd seen at the docks, and with any luck, who ever found them would assume they drank themselves to sleep.

"I think you wandered into the wrong part of town, little girl," the first one said in a tone of pure malicious lechery, slowly stalking toward the 'defenseless' girl. "But we'll help you get back home if you give us something first."

Ranma gave them a predatory grin, and they stopped in their tracks.

It was over in thirty seconds, and it only took that long because one of them managed to run a little bit. An elbow to the temple for one, a hard knee in the gut for the second, and a hammer fist to the base of the skull on the third put the three of them down, though the one who tried to run also got a dislocated shoulder from when Ranma grabbed him. The redhead dragged him back into the alley, and after setting the one sailor's shoulder, she set to work.

The construct came easily to Ranma's mind, one of the first ones Nephrite ever taught her, and she touched the first sailor's forehead. It was far too pleasurable, in Ranma's opinion, to drain the ki from someone, and much as she would like to deny it, the red-haired negawarrior had never felt anything so good in her short life. It was always so hard to stop before the victim's life was in danger, but she managed it, an involuntary sigh escaping her lips as she broke the contact.

Moving on to the second sailor, she reflected that it could be that the construct was causing the effect, but she doubted it. The more she learned, the more she understood what each piece of a construct did, and the energy draining construct was so simple that it seemed like a single line rather than an actual construct. How do you make a line simpler?

Even as she finished draining the second sailor as much as she dared and moved on to the third, an analogy came to mind. In the Japanese writing system, kanji are made up of strokes, and that was very similar to the formation of a construct, though the construct was three-dimensional. In fact, even the kanji radicals were similar: simpler kanji embedded in more complex ones equated to simpler constructs embedded in more complex ones.

With the third sailor drained, Ranma checked her reserves, and finding them only about fifty percent full, she left the sailors sleeping peacefully in the alley to search for more prey.

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Sailor Moon sat, watching the sunset, on a roof near the hospital where Naru was staying, allowing the healing magic of her Senshi transformation to repair her body and soothe her mind. The horrors of the past few days exceeded anything Usagi had previously considered possible, and it was taking her some time to adapt. Luna was taking a catnap in Moon's lap, and the superhero was absently stroking her little black guardian cat.

'I know that if I can't save everyone, it's alright,' a voice, like her own but drained of all emotion, said in her mind. 'I must fight my best, mourn the dead, and move on. It's all I can do.'

'No!' she railed against the voice. 'There must be a way to save everyone. No one has to die.'

The voice, so similar to her own, chuckled humorlessly. 'I wish that were true, but people die in war. I need to deal with it and move on, or it will destroy me.'

'No...' she replied, but with less vehemence than before. 'No, I can't believe that.'

That voice had been plaguing her every time she transformed, recommending paths with a greater chance of victory than those she took, but to take those paths would be to sacrifice innocent lives. How could she do that?

Just like back at Osa-P, when she was fighting her very first youma. 'By the kami,' she thought. 'Was that really only four days ago?'

Before she could continue to wrestle with her inner soldier, movement from the hospital entrance caught her eye: Naru was exiting the building, sitting in a wheel chair being pushed by an elderly woman. Jumping down into the shadowed alley between buildings, she released her transformation, gritting her teeth against the resurgence of aching muscles and a wave of near-crushing fatigue.

Forcing herself into a cheerful demeanor, Usagi rushed forward to greet her friend. "Naru-chan!"

"Usagi-chan, it's so good to see y—" Naru began, but she cut off.

"Are you alright, Naru-chan?" Usagi asked, but Naru was too busy staring at her.

"By God, Usagi-chan, I should be asking you that question," Naru exclaimed. "You look awful."

If she was honest with herself, Usagi knew that Naru was right, but the blonde teen didn't have the luxury of letting fatigue stop her. "It's been a long past couple of days, Naru-chan," she answered, not quite able to suppress a yawn. "I'll be alrigh—"

And as the fatigue she'd been fighting overwhelmed her, Usagi fell into darkness. The last thing she heard was Naru crying out her name.

----------------------------------

As Ranma entered the apartment with full energy reserves and an evening snack, she noticed Nephrite relaxing on the sofa. Saying hello to Nephrite and setting her okonomiyaki on the floor next to the black leather armchair, Ranma made a quick trip to the bathroom for a gender change.

Once he returned to the living room and started eating, he asked, "So, what's up?"

"I've finished my current tasks in the Dark Kingdom, so we can get back to work," Nephrite answered with a smile. "And I have just the construct for you to learn, and hopefully learn quickly."

"Sounds like fun," the pigtailed negawarrior replied with a grin.

"Alright," Nephrite's grin turned a bit evil. "You know how I don't need to sleep? Well if we're going to get any work done while you're still going to school, we'll have to work at night."

"You mean you're gonna teach me the construct that does that?!" Ranma asked with growing excitement.

Nephrite grinned more at his student's enthusiasm. "Not exactly; that one's a little tough for a beginner. I'll teach you a rejuvenation construct that will help you with the late nights. It builds into the one I use, but you need to master this one first."

"Right," answered the younger man. "When do we start?"

"Right now," the dark general answered, beginning to form a construct. "Here's the basic pattern.…"

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As midnight arrived, Luna was listening to the radio, keeping the volume low to avoid disturbing her sleeping charge. Her last meeting with Central, a bare half hour earlier, had brought her more disappointment on the reinforcement front, and though she hardly believed it, she rather enjoyed some of the music from this era. 'Music soothes the savage beast indeed,' she thought wryly.

Luna laid her head down, intending to go to sleep to the music, but a soft, intimate-sounding voice interrupted her intentions, and she almost reached a paw up to change the station. However, the name of the host, Jay Daitou, tickled her mind, like a forgotten memory, and she continued to listen to the broadcast.

"Tonight, we have a letter from a Junior High School girl, Yuukimi. She writes..."

Luna listened through the end of the show, and even as the music returned to lull her to sleep, she still couldn't place what sounded so familiar about 'Jay Daitou'.

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As the three youma returned to the station's normal music selection and Jadeite clicked off the microphone, the dark general addressed his subordinates. "I've come up with a plan to trap Sailor Moon, but we have some preparation to do and not much time. Even if it doesn't work, we'll get more harvesting stock."

All eyes in the room faced the dark general and he began handing out the stack of flyers reading 'Talent Show at InterFM, Tomorrow!!!! Live interview on Midnight Zero to the Winner!!!' as he outlined the preparations.

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The next morning found Ranma and Akane running into each other on the roof of their apartment building just as the sun peaked on the sleeping city from Tokyo Bay, both intent on a morning workout before school. The cool breeze coming in from the east was pleasant, if a bit chilly, but Ranma found such weather perfect for practice. While the rough surface of the rooftop was hardly as pleasant as a dojo, it served its purpose well. As there was plenty of space, they found their respective corners and practiced their kata, but understandably, in Ranma's opinion, Akane wanted a rematch after their match the day before.

"Hey Ranma," Akane called out to her friend once she'd finished her kata. "Do you want to spar for a bit?"

A slightly dubious look crossed Ranma's face at the question, but after a mild cute attack, he acquiesced, and they stood much the same as the day before, Ranma with his hands behind his back and Akane in a combat stance.

"Would you mind leading off this time, Ranma?" Akane asked, shifting her stance to a defensive one. "I haven't had any 'aggressive defense' practice for a while, and I don't want to get too rusty."

Not moving, Ranma decided to stall for time. "What do you mean, 'aggressive defense' practice?" he asked in a quizzical voice.

Akane stepped out of her stance as she answered him. "Well, remember how I told you about the fights at my old school? Well, those fights were actually some of the best training sessions I've had in a while, and while I don't want to be forced to fight, I still want to train."

Ranma considered this for a moment, thinking over his own wish to train as opposed to his prohibitions about fighting girls (normally) and his vow never to use any of his father's training methods. After nearly a minute of consideration, Ranma finally answered, "Alright, but let's keep it down to light contact. It's a school day, after all."

Akane flashed the boy a brilliant smile as she dropped once more into a defensive stance. "Okay, and maybe we can do some full contact on the weekend."

"Not likely," Ranma mumbled, relieved that Akane accepted light contact.

"What did you say?" the blue-black-haired girl asked innocently.

Panicking slightly, Ranma replied, "Nothing!"

Akane nodded, and Ranma, relieved that she didn't press the matter, thought, 'This gives me until the weekend to think of a way out of that. Of course, today is Friday.'

Without further thought, Ranma rushed forward to spar with Akane, trying to keep his speed to something just a little better than what the girl had displayed the day before.

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Usagi blinked awake in her own bed, unaware of how she arrived there. The bright sunlight shining in from her window indicated that it had to be morning, but the blonde Tsukino ignored that fact in favor of waking her sluggish body. She stretched, wincing at the soreness in her muscles, and looked at the clock. It read ten thirty in the morning.

"Oh NO!" she cried, trying to leap out of bed, though managing little more than a pained stagger. "Why didn't you wake me up, Mom?!"

Before she could much more than open a dresser drawer, Usagi's door opened up, and Ikuko stepped into the room. "Usagi," she said quietly. "Don't worry about school today. Just rest."

Feeling relief flood through her body, the blonde teen almost collapsed where she stood, only just managing to return to her bed before falling. Her mother sat next to her and slipped the covers over the Tsukino daughter's tired form.

"What on earth happened, Usagi-chan," Ikuko asked in a voice filled with concern. "You didn't come by home after school, and yesterday evening, I got a call from Naru-chan saying that you collapsed when you met her at the hospital. You never woke up once when your father brought you home."

"I'm sorry, Mom..." Usagi mumbled at her parent, eyes slowly beginning to close. "I'm just really tired."

"Don't worry, dear," the blue-haired woman replied in a caring voice, planting a kiss on the younger woman's forehead. "Just get some rest."

Usagi's last thoughts before drifting back to sleep were, 'Where is Luna?'

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Still a little annoyed at Ranma for his version of 'light contact' sparring, Akane opened her lunch. For her, 'light contact' sparring was keeping the hitting to less than bruising, but obviously, the pigtailed boy's version kept it down to the lightest taps she could still feel. 'Oh well,' she thought with a less than completely friendly smile. 'I can really cut loose this weekend.'

As she glanced at her pigtailed friend, she noticed that her other friend was conspicuously absent from her seat, but even without the redhead's presence, Ranma was already tearing into his lunch. A moment later, just as Akane began eating her own lunch, Unazuki entered the classroom and sat in the once-again vacant seat in front of the youngest Tendo, her hands carrying the reason for her absence: food from the school store.

"Hey, guys," Unazuki greeted her friends, pulling a folded piece of paper from her school uniform pocket opening it to their scrutiny. "Take a look at this!"

Akane paused in her eating to look over the flyer advertising a talent show for the following afternoon. "Not much time to prepare," she mentioned to her red-haired friend.

"I know," she replied, "but that was part of the point, according to the fine print. They only started advertising it today!"

Reading the flyer again, Akane asked, "What is Midnight Zero?"

"It's this cool new radio show where they read love letters on the air," answered the redhead. "They air it at midnight every night on InterFM. That's why I didn't bring my lunch today; I was up late listening to it. So, you wanna try this talent show thing?"

"I don't know..." Akane answered dubiously. She never considered herself very talented in anything other than martial arts.

"Ah, come on," urged Unazuki. "It's a half day at school, and I don't have anything to do. It'll be fun."

In lieu of answering, Akane turned to Ranma, who was just finishing his lunch. "What do you think, Ranma?"

"'Bout what?" asked the boy of the trio, and Akane scowled at him.

"Haven't you been listening to the conversation?" she asked him, irritated. "Do you want to go to a talent show tomorrow?"

"I dunno..." Ranma replied. "It's not really my thing."

"Oh come on, you two," Unazuki interjected. "With you guys doing a martial arts display, we can't lose!"

Akane perked up at that, but then she asked, "But what will you be doing in the show?"

The red-haired teen put a finger to her lips, answering thoughtfully, "Well, every martial arts match needs a referee, right?"

"I guess," replied Akane. "If it's official." Turning back to her male friend, Akane asked, "What do you say, Ranma."

While his face made it clear that he didn't really want to go, he relented quickly. "I guess so."

Smiling brightly, Akane returned to her food, looking forward to a match with Ranma where he couldn't weasel out of full contact if they wanted to win.

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Tetis awoke from intensive healing feeling like a new negalyte, though the strange buzzing coming from a source near her head was annoying. The ice woman slowly opened her eyes in the dim, aquamarine light of a recovery vat in the medical center and forced herself to sit up, coughing up the last of the green regenerative fluid in which the healers had submerged her. As her fit of coughing subsided, the buzzing took on more of a ringing sound, and Tetis turned to see the source: a small black message crystal.

Shaking her head to clear it, the ice negalyte silenced the crystal with a touch, activating its message.

'Captain Tetis,' the recorded voice of Jadeite spoke directly into her mind. 'I asked the healers to place this next to your recovery vat so that you would receive these orders upon your recovery. I am detained by my work with Project Waveforce, so I will leave their execution up to your discretion.'

Tetis nodded as the recording continued. 'I need you to make a repeat performance just like yesterday. Waveforce is almost complete, but I need to distract Sailor Moon for a little bit longer. Jadeite out.'

Smiling with malicious glee, Tetis erased the orders and turned just in time to see one of her subordinate youma entering the room. "Private," she ordered the feline-like creature with three black pits for eyes and sharp, pointed ears. "I need you to watch my back on a little mission."

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Luna was patrolling the streets of Juuban in the afternoon since her charge was down for the day, but so far her detection spells had found no dark presence in the area. The black moon cat once more pondered the strange name of that DJ, Jay Daitou, from the night before, but the memory still wouldn't come. 'Ah well,' she thought. 'If it was important, I would probably have already remembered.'

Suddenly, just as a small dark power source pinged on her detection spell, she heard the sound of a siren approaching, quickly. Finally paying attention to her surroundings rather than her spells, she realized that she was standing outside of Usagi's Junior High, and the siren approaching was that of an ambulance.

Jumping quickly out of the school's driveway, Luna barely dodged the speeding emergency vehicle as it sped through the gate into the schoolyard. Continuing to monitor her spell for that small source of dark power, the black guardian entered the schoolyard to watch the proceedings.

Two paramedics rushed out of the ambulance with a stretcher and raced into the school, returning a few minutes later with one of the students, an unconscious girl. More importantly, to Luna, the source of the dark power centered on the unconscious girl. Just as the paramedics were loading the stretcher into the ambulance, the lunar feline caught sight of the source of the dark power: a black corsage pinned to the shoulder of the student's seifuku. As they finished loading the comatose student into the ambulance, other students were making their way out of the building and off of school property, the school day ending.

Even as Luna made ready to follow the ambulance and study the small black flower set, the sharp pain of an overloaded detection spell caused her to wince. Once she'd reduced the sensitivity of her spell, the moon guardian's eyes widened at the intensity of the new dark power source...and at its familiarity. Without further thought, Luna raced toward the Tsukino household; Usagi was going to get another chance to fight the ice woman.

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Shingo was almost home from school, walking side by side with his friend Mika, when she said, "Look at this, Shingo-kun."

The youngest Tsukino turned to see his friend pointing at a flyer taped to a nearby telephone pole. "It's a talent show for tomorrow afternoon!" Mika said, reiterating the words on the flyer. "Want to be in it with me, Shingo-kun? I think it sounds like fun!"

Shingo shrugged at his friend. "I heard some of the other kids talking about it at lunch, so they'll probably be there."

Mika smiled brightly at him, replying, "Then it'll be even more fun!"

"So," Shingo asked, "what should we do for the show?"

Mika was about to answer when a black blur in the corner of Shingo's eye caught his attention. "Was that Luna?" he mumbled absently.

"Huh?" his female companion asked.

The brown-haired Tsukino blinked and turned his attention back to Mika, smiling at her. "Oh, nothing. Let's go to my house and think about what to do for the talent show."

Mika nodded cutely, snagged his arm, and practically dragged him through the mid-afternoon sunshine to the Tsukino home.

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Usagi was just finishing up her letter to Midnight Zero when Luna raced into her bedroom through the cracked door. Looking curiously at the small black cat, the blonde teen absently folded the letter in thirds and stuffed it into the envelope.

"Usagi!" Luna cried. "You must transform! That ice creature is back!"

All good humor left the girl at the cat's words, and she stood, resigned. "Where?" she asked in a dull voice.

"I'll show you," answered Luna, her voice now full of concern. "Transform quickly!"

Usagi nodded to the small cat, and with a "Moon Prism Power, Make Up," Sailor Moon stood in Tsukino Usagi's bedroom. "Let's go, Luna."

Scooping the cat into her arms, the Moon Senshi leapt out of the second story window and landed with lithe grace in the Tsukino's yard, right in front of Shingo and Mika. Ignoring the arriving duo's surprised stares, Moon took off in the direction her guardian indicated, and it wasn't long before she found her way to the small commercial area that included the Crown Game Center, the ice monster once more destroying cars and throwing people into a black rift even as they screamed.

"Stop it, you monster!" she yelled at the woman. "I am the beautiful sailor suited soldier, Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

Rather than answering or simply standing there like last time, the ice monster blurred, charging at the blonde Senshi. Moon's eyes widened as a frozen slap from the creature burned her cheek and knocked her to the ground. Rolling, she narrowly avoided a follow up stomp that would have broken her neck, and she had barely regained her feet before having to dodge a volley of razor-sharp icicles.

It seemed that this time, the ice woman was out for blood, but the deadly seriousness of the situation served only to bring out Moon's inner soldier even more. Staring coldly at the creature, she advanced, dodging the icicles the woman threw, and the blonde Senshi even snagged one icicle out of the air and hurled it back at her target, surprising the woman. Moon barely registered the cuts on her hand from that attack, slowly oozing blood to stain her white gloves.

Finally reaching the retreating denizen of the Negaverse, Sailor Moon unloaded a vicious reverse punch to the creature's chest with enough force to crack its ice armor, and the Dark Kingdom soldier retreated, a look of astonishment on her face. The Senshi, however, was beyond caring, her rage at this creature who had nearly killed her the day before absolute. Racing forward with the intent of beating the ice woman to death, Moon made the fight a hand-to-hand melee.

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Since they had agreed to do the talent show on Saturday, Ranma had begged off hanging out with his friends in favor of some 'homework'. Of course, the homework he was referring to had nothing to do with Juuban High; he just wanted some time to practice his constructs and learn some new ones from Nephrite. Now, however, he was beginning to regret that decision. First off, the dark general was nowhere to be found when he returned to the apartment, so getting more instruction from his tutor was out of the question, and while he could practice the constructs he already knew, the pigtailed negawarrior was dying to learn new ones as well. On top of that, when he left for a walk to clear his head and practice some of his constructs, the apartment building's lawn sprinklers kicked on, soaking the now female Ranma.

She was about to head down to the corner kissa to get some hot water when she felt a strong source of negaforce appear, and smiling for the first time since leaving her friends for the day, Ranma raced off toward the surely brewing battle, the familiar route to the Crown Center making her worried for Unazuki.

Plumes of black smoke from detonated cars and a slowly closing black portal very reminiscent of the last battle scene framed the same ice woman from before. Forming the constructs she could not use in the last battle, the red-haired girl fueled them from her replenished reserves and took a good look at the woman as she threw another volley of icicles, scattering a group of pedestrians without hurting them. Through the sensory constructs, Ranma noted that the ice woman was very different from the other youma she'd seen, and her sense wasn't right for a negawarrior either. 'A negalyte, probably,' Ranma guessed, making a note to ask Nephrite about it later.

Even as Ranma was considering this, Sailor Moon arrived with one of her usual corny speeches, and the pigtailed girl leaned against a nearby car to watch the action, hoping to see some new constructs.

This time, the ice negalyte didn't underestimate Moon at all, unloading a vicious slap to the superhero's face and following up with a nearly lethal stomp. The Dark Kingdom soldier wasn't pulling any punches, and the battle persisted in a deadly silence as both sides gave their all to kill the other, the usual battle banter and bluster missing from the action. Ranma studied the constructs the negalyte used to fight, and she likened them to using ki to enhance speed and strength. The icicle construct was also interesting, and the newest negawarrior studied it carefully, though she was distracted when Moon actually snagged one of the icicles from the air and hurled it back at the negalyte.

As the battle changed from missile and dodging to a messy hand-to-hand melee, Ranma expanded her sensory construct into a large sphere approximately half a kilometer in diameter. The construct was difficult to maintain at that level of power, but even as she kept her eyes on the continuing battle, the pigtailed girl wanted to know what else was happening in the area. Three things immediately jumped out at her: there was a youma, much weaker than the negalyte, watching the battle from the roof of the Crown Center, there was a small source of mana-based magic coming from an alley across the street, and another source of magic approaching rapidly from the south. All in all, it seemed that the battle was going to get even more interesting, very soon.

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Luna watched, hidden in an alleyway, as Sailor Moon closed with the enemy for some messy hand-to-hand, and she continued to monitor her detection spells, studying the status of both her charge and the enemy ice creature. Despite both taking hits, Moon was still going strong, and her opponent still radiated a strong aura of dark power. This battle was far from over, and Luna silently cheered as the superhero got a clean punch through to strike the ice creature's jaw, though she winced as a counter punch tagged the Senshi on the shoulder.

Just then, another source of dark power registered in her detection spell, and it took only a moment to narrow it to a small, red-haired girl of no more than sixteen, leaning calmly against a parked car and observing the battle. 'By Queen Serenity,' Luna thought in shock. 'Who is that girl? She will bear watching.'

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Private Junko of Jadeite's special operations department, under Captain Tetis' command, continued to watch the battle from her vantage point on the roof of the Crown Center, her detection sorcery spell kept at low power to avoid being spotted, as ordered. Even though she wanted to watch Captain Tetis fight, her job on this mission was to watch out for the Tuxedo-clad enemy that had won the last fight for Sailor Moon. Without his interference, Tetis thought she could kill Sailor Moon, and that was definitely a goal worth risking her life. Impatiently, she scanned the skyline for her target, her claws sheathing and unsheathing reflexively as she waited.

Even as each of the combatants on the street connected with solid hits, Moon to Tetis' jaw and Tetis to Moon's shoulder, a glimpse of black announced the stranger's arrival. Clad in a tuxedo, complete with masquerade mask, top hat, cape, and cane, the unknown combatant crouched on the roof across from the youma private, studying the battle while idly spinning a trademark rose in his hand.

Junko's muscles coiled for a leap as the masked man drew his arm back for a shot, and as the spec ops private launched through the air at him, the man threw the rose. The tawny-furred, cat-like youma had no time to see where the shot went as she landed atop her opponent, slamming him into the roof. They wrestled, rolling off the structure, and Junko landed badly with her opponent on top, three stories down on the concrete. The fall didn't really hurt her, but she was stunned enough that she released her foe, and he leapt away, brandishing his cane like a sword.

Briefly noting that their unexpected appearance had momentarily halted the other fight on the street, Junko fully unsheathed her claws and jumped at the tuxedo-clad man. Bringing up his cane in a high block, he shoved the youma back with surprising strength, and the battle continued.

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A blinding pain erupted from Tetis' right shoulder, and she fell back from a simultaneous assault by Sailor Moon. As she retreated, she spotted the source of her pain: a red rose had drilled through her armor and deep into her shoulder, making her arm useless. Without her dominant hand, the battle was quickly turning against her, and the particularly vicious shot where Moon jammed the rose deeper into her flesh didn't help at all.

A yowling sound caused Tetis and Moon to both jump back from their melee and look up, just in time to see a ball of black cloth and tawny fur fall from the third story roof of a nearby building. Once it hit the ground, the ball resolved itself into Private Junko, lying stunned on the ground, and the tuxedo-clad figure that was her target. The man recovered from the fall first and jumped off of the youma, holding his cane like a sword at ready, and Junko wasted no time in pouncing at her foe. At that point, Tetis was reminded that she had her own enemy as the blonde Senshi rejoined the melee with a double fist to the negalyte Captain's head.

Reeling from the blow and still in great pain from the rose stuck in her shoulder, Tetis could not defend against Moon's new assault, and she quickly fell back, her vision blurring and a roaring sound in her ears. All it had taken was that single rose and a small distraction for Sailor Moon to gain the upper hand in the battle, and it had shaken Tetis' confidence greatly that for the second time, she was losing a battle with the Moon bitch.

"Moon"

Over the roaring sound in her ears, she heard the words she most dreaded, but her reeling mind struggled to form to teleport construct to escape.

"Tiara"

Slowly, she placed each piece of the construct, but she knew she wasn't going to make it. Sailor Moon was chanting her final attack too quickly, and Tetis felt like she was moving in slow motion, the pain of her injuries almost breaking her concentration.

"Action!"

Two lines away from finishing the teleport construct, Tetis' eyes widened as a glowing disk flew from Moon's hand, and she knew it to be her death. Suddenly, with a cry of "Captain!" Private Junko was there, throwing herself between Tetis and the Senshi's final attack. The private took the disk in the middle of her back, and through her ice-crystallized tears, Tetis saw the brief instant of absolute pain in Junko's eyes before she disintegrated from the influx of planetary lifeforce through her shattered energy shield. Through the still-falling remains of her comrade, Tetis saw Moon recover her weapon, and without compassion or mercy in her eyes, the Senshi began her attack again.

Determined to make Junko's sacrifice worthwhile, Tetis finished her teleport construct and fled, vanishing just before the disk would have ripped through her form. Even as she reappeared in the Shinjuku harvesting station, the negalyte collapsed, sobbing from sorrow, pain, and exhaustion.

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The ice woman was reeling from her repeated blows, and Sailor Moon wasn't about to show the monster mercy. While her tuxedo-clad ally had her distracted, Moon had attacked, taking advantage of the opening to beat the creature to the ground. Finally, she began her final attack, but surprisingly, the youma fighting with the tuxedo man jumped in the way, disintegrating from the tiara's spell. After recovering her weapon she threw it again, but the ice woman managed to vanish before the tiara could strike.

Even as the enemy fled, the adrenaline that had been sustaining her body drained away, and Sailor Moon involuntarily fell to her hands and knees. Exhaustion almost as bad as the night before assailed her mind, but one thing remained important before she could pass out. Looking to her ally, bruises and small cuts covering his face, she asked one question. "Who are you?"

The tuxedo-clad man turned to go, but before he leapt to the rooftops again, he answered her in a quiet voice. "You can call me Tuxedo Kamen." Then he was gone, and Sailor Moon barely staggered into the alley where Luna was hiding before collapsing into unconsciousness.

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When the cat youma appeared, Ranma ran. She was no coward, but the pigtailed negawarrior had good reason to fear that visage. Mindlessly, Ranma fled back to her apartment, and it wasn't until she arrived that the shaking began to go away. Even the thought of a c—c—feline that size was enough to give her nightmares, and she wanted nothing more than to get the image out of her head.

Without delay, Ranma went to the bathroom and returned to his birth gender, relishing the greater strength of this form. Thinking that some kata might help him purge the memory of that horrible visage, Ranma headed for the door.

"Hang on, Ranma," a voice stopped him, and the pigtailed teen turned to see Nephrite sitting in his normal position on the couch, a puzzled look on his face. "What's got you so upset?"

"Umm," Ranma replied uneasily. He didn't want his fear to become common knowledge, but he guessed he could tell his de facto guardian. "I have this fear of c—c—cats, and there was a cat youma in the latest battle." Ranma hated the quiver in his voice as he spoke, and he absolutely detested the stutter when he tried to say the 'c' word.

Nephrite looked even more puzzled at this, asking, "How on Terra would you get a fear of cats?"

Resignedly, Ranma dropped into the chair across from Nephrite and related the story of the Nekoken training in a tremulous voice. As he described being repeatedly wrapped in fish sausage, sardines, fish paste, and other seafood products and dropped into a pit of over fifty starving cats, the dark general's face went from disbelief to horror to disgust. Once Ranma finished his tale, all the incredulous Nephrite could reply was, "And you mourned this man's death?!"

"He may have done some pretty awful things to me in the name of the Art, but he was still my father," the younger negawarrior answered, a bit defensively. Sure, his father wasn't perfect, but he had been an excellent, if brutal, sensei.

The grey-clad man could only shake his head at that, sighing. "Well, why don't we work on some of the constructs I taught you last night? Have you got the rejuvenation construct down yet?"

Relieved at the change of subject, Ranma replied, "I think so." After a nod from Nephrite to demonstrate, Ranma formed the construct and powered it. Instantly, what little fatigue he'd gained from the run back to the apartment vanished and he felt like he'd just had a refreshing nap and a cool drink. Blinking at his success, Ranma said, "I think it worked." Then he looked at the clock, shocked that it had taken him nearly an hour to form the construct, even though it seemed only minutes to him.

Smiling, Nephrite replied, "I knew you could do it, and don't worry, speed will come with practice. Alright, I'm going to show you the next step toward the full construct, and this one is a bit more complicated. Here we go."

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Sailor Moon awoke from her exhausted slumber three hours after the battle, Luna faithfully watching over her. A quick assessment of her injuries was better than after most battles, and the nap in her transformed state had helped to rejuvenate her greatly. She was still fatigued, but not nearly as badly as before. Glancing over at Luna, she said, "I guess we should get home, Luna."

The small guardian jumped into her arms and Moon leapt to the roof to begin her journey home. As she jumped from roof to roof, Luna spoke. "Sailor Moon, I think you should begin to learn magic other than the pre-made spells for your transformation and tiara attacks. I only know a few spells, but I would be happy to teach them to you."

Smiling for the first time since waking up, the blonde Senshi replied, "That sounds like a good idea. What kind of magic can you teach me?"

"The easiest ones I know are for enhancing your senses and detecting energy sources," answered the guardian cat, purring a bit in approval of Moon's quick acceptance of magical instruction. "Spells for scanning someone's status are a little more complex, as are certain device-driven spells. The most complex spells I know are some simple and weak healing spells, but it will be quite a while before you become good enough to cast those."

Sailor Moon nodded as the guardian spoke, storing away the information for future use, but her mind was mainly focused on her waiting bed and the hope that she could sleep the night in her transformed state. It would help a great deal, and Luna agreed when she mentioned it. "Just remember to lock your door," the black moon guardian advised. "We wouldn't want your family finding out that you are Sailor Moon."

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As the third installment of Midnight Zero drew to a close, Jadeite sighed. The plan was almost certainly moving too slowly for Queen Beryl's approval, and even with the trap he laid for the following day, the news from Tetis was depressing indeed. Losing a special operations soldier, even a private, was a large blow to Jadeite's plans indeed. It also confirmed his suspicions that the standard, run-of-the-mill soldier youma was truly no match for a Senshi, and that cut the dark general's options drastically. Not only that, but losing Private Junko was a huge blow to Tetis' morale, especially since Jadeite had not sanctioned her use in the operation and was forced to discipline the special forces captain for losing the soldier.

Turning his mind to the coming trap, Jadeite considered yet again the pros and cons of his idea to supplement it. On the plus side, if they really did lure Moon and her ally into the trap, the rest of the city should be Senshi-free and easy pickings, but at the moment, he didn't have enough resources on Terra to exploit that vulnerability. Thus the cons: he would have to expend precious lifeforce to transport more youma to Terra and maintain their energy shields to keep them alive, and Queen Beryl would not be pleased with the loss. The only question in Jadeite's mind was whether or not he was sure that Sailor Moon would fall into his trap, and whether or not the trap would succeed if she did.

Finally, Jadeite made his decision, and with a wry grin, he thought, 'I've never made it my way to be overly cautious, and that methodology served me well for twenty millennia as a general of the Dark Kingdom.'

With that, Jadeite formed the communications construct and summoned three more youma from his special operations department, expending quite a bit of lifeforce to transport them. Once he gave them their orders and they left, Jadeite returned to his office in Dark Moon. It was a good thing it took quite a bit less energy to transport a negawarrior than a regular youma, though no one seemed to know why this was true. Otherwise, he would be stuck on one side or the other, and that wouldn't be very productive. Returning to the latest status reports on Project Waveforce, he set about his tasks for the night.

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For the first time in nearly a week, Sailor Moon awoke feeling refreshed, the sunlight streaming in through her bedroom window not seeming as abrasive as usual. Of course, fifteen hours spent sleeping in her transformed state had helped a great deal, and even when Usagi dropped the transformation, the fatigue didn't return. For the first time in quite a while, the Tsukino daughter smiled in the morning light. She'd even woken up early enough to take a bath before school!

The morning seemed to be going perfect, from soaking in the tub for half an hour, to dressing in a fresh school uniform, to having, for once, a leisurely breakfast with her family. True, Shingo seemed to be looking at her strangely, but he did that a lot. As the two Tsukino children left for school, she asked, "Itouto-chan, why are you looking at me like that?"

Shingo seemed nervous as he replied, "No reason! I'll see you later, neechan!"

With that, he raced off in the direction of his school, leaving Usagi to stare quizzically at his back. As she walked to school, the blonde teen saw a familiar figure also walking toward Juuban Junior High.

"Umino-kun!" she shouted to him, and his suddenly stiff back reminded her that he had yet to forgive himself for the riot incident. Catching up to her nerdish friend, she clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Cheer up, Umino-kun!"

The boy sighed and mumbled something incoherent, and Usagi searched her mind for some way to really show Umino that she truly forgave him. Just then, a flyer taped to a telephone pole caught her eye, and she knew what to do.

"Umino-kun, why don't we go to that talent show this afternoon?" asked the blonde teen, pointing to the flyer. "It'll be fun!"

Umino glanced up and his apprehensive mood fell away. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "And if we win, we'll get to be on Midnight Zero live!!"

Usagi smiled as her exuberant friend seemed to be back, but almost as quickly his apprehension reappeared. "Are you sure you want to do it with me, Usagi-san?"

Forcing down her irritation at the boy's tiresome mood, she replied in a mock-annoyed tone, "Of course, I would do it with Naru-chan, but she's still out. Why wouldn't I want to go with you?"

Hope and fear warred on the information dealer's face, but in the end, he looked happy. "Thank you, Usagi...chan."

Smiling at him again, she asked, "So what should we do?"

"Hmm," Umino said. "Do you know that song, 'Moonlight Densetsu'?"

"Well, yeah!" exclaimed the exuberant blonde. "It's only one of my favorite songs!"

"We could sing it as a duet," replied the brown-haired boy, some of his nervousness returning.

Usagi smiled brightly. "That sounds great. C'mon, let's get to class!"

With that, she grabbed his hand and took off toward school, happy that they were on speaking terms again.

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After school let out at the end of the half day and the trio of Ranma, Unazuki, and Akane got a free lunch at the Crown Parlor, the three teens walked to the radio station, fully enjoying the pleasant spring weather. Once again, there was a good breeze coming in from Tokyo Bay and the sun wasn't too hot, and on top of that, Unazuki couldn't wait to get to the talent show. It would be so much fun to watch Ranma and Akane spar again, and she was sure that they would win.

As they continued on, the redhead spotted a familiar face going the same direction. "Usagi-chan," she called out, catching the younger girl's attention. "How are you today?"

Usagi smiled brightly and replied, "Hi, Unazuki-chan! I'm feeling a lot better, thanks. Are you guys going to the talent show too?"

Unazuki nodded brightly. "What are you going to do for it?"

"Umino-kun and I are going to be singing 'Moonlight Densetsu'. What about you?"

"I'm going to referee a martial arts match between my friends here," answered Unazuki. Seeing Usagi's puzzled face, she said, "Oh, I haven't introduced you yet, have I?"

Usagi shook her head, and the red-haired teen continued. "Usagi, these are my new friends Saotome Ranma and Tendo Akane. Ranma, Akane, this is my friend Tsukino Usagi and her friend, Gurio Umino."

The two fighters greeted the Junior High school kids politely, and the five set off once more for the studio. As they walked, Unazuki noticed Umino taking glances at Akane out of the corner of his eye, but before she could mention it, another voice called out, "Oneechan!"

Usagi turned, and Unazuki saw Usagi's kid brother, Shingo, and his little friend, Mika, approaching. "Hi, itouto," the Tsukino daughter greeted with a bright smile. "Are you and Mika-chan going to the talent show?"

"Yeap," Shingo replied. "We're going to dance."

Usagi snickered at that and Shingo got an annoyed look on his face. "Hey, what's so funny," asked the youngest Tsukino in a testy tone.

Still giggling, his older sister answered, "Oh nothing."

And so it went, all the way to the studio where the talent show was to be held. Usagi ribbed her brother while Shingo insulted his sister. All the others watched with a mixture of amusement and annoyance toward the sibling rivalry displayed there.

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Ranma wasn't really looking forward to being in the talent show, and the crowd at the studio simply increased his discomfort. "Hey," he whispered to Unazuki. "We're like the oldest people here!"

Indeed, the studio lobby was mostly filled with Primary schoolers with the occasional knot of Junior High students in the mix. As far as he could see, there were no other High School teens in the line, and that was making the pigtailed negawarrior nervous.

"So what, Ranma," replied his red-haired companion. "It'll still be fun."

Ranma grumbled even as his female escorts herded him back stage to get ready, and Akane excused herself briefly to put on her gi. All around Ranma and Unazuki, kids were practicing their acts and getting into costumes that didn't require privacy, and the whole ordeal was getting on his nerves.

"Say Ranma," asked Unazuki. "Don't you think you should wear a gi for the exhibition match? It'll look more official."

"Probably," the black-haired boy replied, looking down at his green silk Chinese shirt and black pants, "but I don't own a gi anymore. My last one was pretty trashed after my father died."

The redhead looked at him sympathetically and said no more. Finally, Akane rejoined them, asking the same question and receiving the same response. All the sympathy was actually starting to annoy Ranma more than the kids when a tall woman called for attention.

"Excuse me, everyone," said a tall, classical beauty with very fair skin. She wore a grey, woman's business suit and made it look good, and her voice was like chimes, lacking any kind of harshness. "Thank you all for attending our impromptu talent show, and as you know, the prize is a live interview on Midnight Zero. Now, the audience will be voting to judge who wins, so get out there and impress those fans!"

The woman paused briefly before saying, "The first thing we're going to do is have everyone come out on stage and say hi, and then we'll begin the show. Each person or team will take a number, and we will proceed in that order. Are there any questions?"

A couple of the Primary School students had questions, but Ranma tuned them out. As far as he was concerned, the sooner this thing was over, the better. However, just at that point, the young negawarrior sensed something was not quite right about the situation, but he couldn't pin point the feeling. Deciding to keep on his toes, the Saotome heir fell into line with Akane and Unazuki.

The feeling of wrongness increased as the trio made their way onto stage, and Ranma looked out over the crowd...or what seemed to be a crowd. Instincts honed over years of training reached out for the source of the impending danger, and he realized what was so wrong: he could sense no ki from anyone except the people on stage. The audience was an illusion!

Forming his sensory constructs, he realized that he must have walked into a Dark Kingdom harvesting trap, and that meant great danger for his two friends. Even as the thought occurred to him, he saw the draining construct reach out toward the gathered humans on the stage, and he even felt a pull on his own reserves, though it was not strong enough to drain a negawarrior.

Without thought, Ranma snagged both Akane and Unazuki by the waist and leapt off the stage, back into the wings where it was presumably safe. The young negawarrior did not stop running until he no longer felt the pull on his reserves, but by then, the red-haired girl was unconscious and Akane was dazed from the ki drain. Using his sensory constructs, Ranma gave his friends a once over, sighing with relief when he noticed that they would be all right with a little food and rest.

Once he'd made that determination, the pigtailed boy's face twisted into a snarl with anger at both the youma who set this up and at himself for not sensing it sooner and keeping his friends safer. Walking back to the wings of the stage, safely protected by a shield against negaforce constructs, he fully intended to give the youma a piece of his mind.

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Usagi knew something was wrong the moment she set foot on the stage, and the slight fatigue she began to feel proved it. Grabbing Shingo and Mika, she pulled them off stage, despite their weak protests, and before she finally got them to safety, the youngest Tsukino and his friend were unconscious from the energy drain.

Quickly, the blonde teen found an empty dressing room and transformed, Sailor Moon rushing forth to attack those who would harm her family and friends.

The sight that greeted her when she reentered the stage was one of horror: all around her, children and teens lay unconscious on the stage, drained of their very lifeforce. Quickly, she checked the nearest body, coincidentally being Umino's. Thankfully, his pulse was strong, and he seemed to be in no further danger. The feeling of something trying to drain away her lifeforce was gone, and she was certain it was not simply her Senshi powers protecting her. The enemy had stopped draining before actually harming the people, and for a moment, that gave Sailor Moon some food for thought.

However, her brief doubts as to the evil nature of their enemy were put to rest when an energy beam narrowly missed her head, exploding against the back of the stage. Spinning to face her assailant, she saw a three-meter-tall youma with skin the color of dried blood holding one of its four arms as though it had just fired the blast. Each multi-jointed arm was tipped in three wickedly curved claws, and the youma's eyes were slit like a cat's, but horizontally. Then the beast smiled, its mouth full of razor-sharp, five-centimeter long teeth.

"Hey you!" she yelled, all the while wondering why she would be talking at a time like this. "Talent shows are—"

The youma decided not to listen to Moon's speech, and leaping at Sailor Moon, the monster raked with the claws of the lower two arms while trying to grab the blonde Senshi with the upper ones. Moon dodged back, avoiding the grab, but the raking lower claws managed to shred her bodysuit over her stomach and draw a small amount of blood.

Even as the youma attacked, it spoke. "We will drain any humans we wish, and you will not stop us, Moon bitch."

Grimacing in pain, the Moon Senshi decided to go on the offensive, charging the youma head on, but even though she was much faster than the clawed monstrosity, her knuckles stung when she tried to punch its rock-hard carapace.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Moon went for a kick, aiming for one of the joints in its legs. The youma narrowly dodged the strike and tried to take moon's head off with a claw strike, but the Senshi dropped to the floor to avoid it. That, however, was a mistake.

Two stomp attacks forced the Senshi to roll between the youma's legs, and in that moment, she knew she had failed, and now she was going to die. Staring upward for that one instant, she looked at the youma's four arms converging at one point, and more importantly, the large ball of energy that had formed between them. And then that energy rushed downward at the middle of her chest.

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Ranma arrived just in time to see the large, insectoid youma leap at Sailor Moon, and he decided that he wasn't going to be 'talking' to the youma any time soon. Reinforcing his shield with a construct to repel mana-based magic, Ranma settled back to watch yet another fight between Senshi and youma. Interestingly enough, this particular youma seemed to have the upper hand against the Moon Senshi, and this was made abundantly clear when Sailor Moon punched the thing and then shook her fist in pain. However, what the youma said just before the blonde Senshi attacked made Ranma's blood boil.

'So,' he thought in disgust, 'you think you can drain my friends when ever you want, and you have no conscience to tell you that draining indiscriminately is wrong, eh? Let's see how you like this!'

Just as the youma had Moon on the ground and was about to unload an energy blast at point blank range, Ranma decided to test one of his own modifications on a shield construct. Quickly forming the shield, he set it between the youma and Moon. As the energy blast came into contact with Ranma's invisible shield, the air rippled, and the blast momentarily disappeared.

Ranma grimaced as he directed the flow of absorbed energy through his reserves and back toward the shield construct, but his efforts were quite painful. Then, in a blinding flash, the blast returned...moving in the opposite direction! The youma had only seconds to look surprised before her own blast slammed into her chest, flinging her toward the ceiling.

Ranma smirked through the pain of having to absorb and redirect so much energy at once. Maybe that would teach them about indiscriminate draining. Resolving not to help either side in the remainder of the battle, Ranma sat down and, wishing he had some popcorn, enjoyed the show.

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Both Sailor Moon and the youma blinked in surprise as the energy blast meant to burn through Moon's chest disappeared in a rippling section of air, and a moment later, the bolt reappeared, slamming into the youma just as she had intended it to blast Sailor Moon. The blonde Senshi watched with wide eyes as the youma slammed into the ceiling before the blast dissipated, a charred hole in her chest oozing ichor.

Contemplating this strange turn of events, and even hoping that it signified a new ally in her struggle against the Dark Kingdom, Moon regained her feet just as the youma crashed into the empty seats of the auditorium. Even as the blonde Senshi moved forward to finish off the youma, however, the creature rose from its crater, and while it seemed a bit worse for wear, its eyes glared murder at the Moon Senshi.

Just then, a strange whizzing sound drew Moon's attention, and she looked up, hoping to see Tuxedo Kamen and his signature attack. However, the whizzing wasn't a crimson rose but a shard of blue crystal, and the shard lanced through Sailor Moon's left shoulder tearing a hole of bright agony through her flesh. Gripping the shoulder above her now limply hanging arm and crying silent tears of pain, Moon's eyes widened as she heard the whistling once more. Looking up, Moon was sure that this shard would hit her in the head.

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Tuxedo Kamen dropped from the attic to the balcony through a trap door and assessed the situation. Sailor Moon was standing in front of a badly hurt youma lying in a crater, looking ready to finish it. Kamen reflected on the fact that while he had been present at every one of Sailor Moon's battles, he hadn't helped unless she needed it. In fact, Kamen wasn't entirely certain who he actually was, just the fact that he had to protect the lovely blonde Senshi if she needed him.

Since she seemed about to destroy the youma, Tuxedo Kamen almost settled back, content to watch the beauty in action, but a pop and whirring sound stopped him short. Then, he saw Sailor Moon fall to one knee, clutching her left shoulder in agony, and her left arm hung as though dead. Whirling to the side, Kamen saw another youma holding a long tube, seeming to aim at the Moon Senshi, and even as he watched, another pop came from the tube, and he could see the sliver of dark blue crystal fly at the one he must protect.

Reaching into his cloak, Kamen produced two of his signature red roses, and quick as lightning and more accurately than a computer, he flung one rose to intercept the shard of crystal a mere half meter from Moon's head. The other rose found its target in the sniping youma's right shoulder, lancing deeply into its flesh.

The tuxedo-clad man pulled another three roses from his cloak even as the sniper youma screamed in agony, the grim set to his jaw showing this to be the finishing move, but a deep, blinding pain in the back of his right calf caused him to drop to one knee, barely keeping hold of his weapons. Immediately, Kamen rolled to cover, away from what ever had attacked him from behind, and once there, he extracted another shard of blue crystal from his now blood-covered leg.

Wincing with pain, Kamen began to worry. Now both he and Moon were injured, and their opponents numbered at least three. This was not good.

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Even as the shard of blue crystal lanced through Moon's shoulder, Ranma enhanced his sight and look at the source: a youma holding a long, tube-like a rifle. His mouth twisted in distaste, and he reflected once more that this wasn't honorable combat. When he was with his father, he had studied many tactics, including war stratagems, and while he knew that such tactics were perfectly acceptable in war, he still couldn't bring himself to like them. To him, all combat should be conducted in the honorable style of challenges, and it annoyed him that his side of this war seemed to be using the more underhanded tactics before the other did.

While he contemplated this, the sniper youma fired again, but a brilliant red rose intercepted the attack only a half meter from Sailor Moon's head, and another such rose found is way to the shoulder of the sniping youma. Once again, Moon's ally had shown up, but this time it seemed that the Dark Kingdom's team was prepared, because just as the tuxedo-clad man was about to throw more roses, he fell to one knee. Unfortunately, Ranma couldn't see what happened from there since the railing of the balcony prevented line of sight, so he turned his attention back to the battle in the main seating area.

Moon was back on her feet, but her left arm hung uselessly at her side. The youma was also back on its feet, but she was moving sluggishly due to the horrible gash in her chest carapace. Ranma was almost sorry he'd redirected the attack at the youma rather than simply away; he hadn't known just how powerful it was until he'd already done it. All in all, it looked to be a battle of the cripples, and Ranma wondered why both sides couldn't just decide that they were too injured to fight.

Certainly, Ranma knew that in war you often had to fight to the death, but there was an emotional side to him that didn't want to think that way. Surely there could be a peace between the Earth and the Dark Kingdom.

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Tuxedo Kamen threw two roses blindly around the corner, flinging them at the enemy that he labeled 'Ambusher' before limping out to face the other youma. Even though Ambusher was probably the greater threat, Kamen couldn't have another youma at his back, even injured, if he was to take care of that threat. Pulling his cane, the tuxedo-clad man jumped at the youma he labeled 'Sniper' as best he could, going for the quick end with an overhead slash. Sniper raised the tube and blocked the strike, but the weapon was sundered in two by the sheer force of Kamen's swing.

With that youma briefly dazed, Kamen whirled on his good leg and unloaded three roses at Ambusher, forcing the approaching youma to duck, and continuing his spin, the tuxedo-clad hero used his momentum to slam his cane into Sniper. Feeling the wet crush of flesh and the pop of snapping bone through his cane, Kamen kept his attention on Ambusher, and while he heard Sniper cry out, one of his roses found its mark in the tube weapon held by the ambusher, causing the weapon to begin to emit a high-pitched whine.

The youma looked at her weapon in surprise and then fear, throwing the damaged device over the edge of the balcony. A moment later, an explosion like a ripple through reality rocked the entire auditorium, throwing everyone off their feet. Kamen held his head as he struggled to regain his bearings, and rapidly blinking his eyes to banish the haziness in his vision, he glanced at both his foes.

Ambusher was down, looking to be unconscious, but Sniper, regardless of her broken leg and useless arm, was slowly making her way to her feet. Knowing that he was now in no condition to fight, Kamen did the only thing he could: take the initiative. Swinging his cane like a baseball bat while the youma was still recovering, Kamen connected with the creatures head, pitching her over the balcony railing and down to where Sailor Moon was fighting.

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Moon ignored the youma's shriek as she buried her hand within the gash in the creature's chest, and clenching that hand into a fist, she turned her movement into a side kick, sending the creature flying. Sailor Moon dropped what she had ripped from the youma's chest, and she flicked her hand to knock off the ichor, grimacing in disgust. The red monstrosity landed on her back, crumpled painfully by the auditorium's seats. However, she wasn't out yet, and she slowly and painfully tried to return to its feet.

Then another youma fell atop its prone form. Reflexively looking up to find the source of the fallen creature, Moon couldn't help but smile at the telltale flash of black cape signifying more help from Tuxedo Kamen. Turning her attention back to the two fallen youma, now unmoving, she grasped her tiara, intent on removing the enemies of life from her world.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

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Tuxedo Kamen watched briefly as Sailor Moon's attack destroyed both of the unconscious youma on the ground floor, a satisfied smile on his face. Two more abominations down.

With that in mind, Kamen turned to where Ambusher had fallen unconscious, but the youma was nowhere in sight. Cursing, the black-clad superhero made his exit, very unhappy with the escape of the third monster.

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Looking once more on Sailor Moon's final attack, this time used to kill incapacitated foes, Ranma felt sick. Thinking that he never should have helped the blonde killer, he guiltily walked away. No matter how much he wanted to teach that youma a lesson for her presumption and draining his friends, the pigtailed negawarrior never wished it death, and he certainly never wished it such an agonizing one. He wouldn't wish Sailor Moon's final attack on his worst enemy...even her.

Returning to where he'd left Unazuki and Akane, he was gratified to see Akane had recovered, and the raven-haired girl was now cradling the still-unconscious Unazuki's head in her lap.

"How is she?" Ranma asked as he approached. "And how are you?"

Akane jumped a little and looked up, her brown eyes widening in a startled look. "Oh Ranma!" she yelped, "you surprised me. I'm feeling alright, but Unazuki still isn't awake."

Kneeling next to his fallen friend, Ranma pressed his right index and middle fingers to her forehead, using a minor construct to assess her condition. About half of her ki had been drained, and that meant that without help, she wouldn't recover for another few hours. A perfect opportunity to test one of his theories.

Being both a ki adept and a negawarrior gave him a great deal of insight into how the life energy worked, and the experience of draining others and that scroll he'd found in his father's things had given him an idea. Closing his eyes, Ranma channeled his ki into his fingers, applying the mindset necessary to drain others without the construct. By doing this, he made himself open to this sort of connection, and now he needed to open Unazuki to it.

Remembering what was written in that scroll and applying a bit of negaforce draining theory to the knowledge there, Ranma reached out with his other hand and tapped three pressure points on Unazuki's head to make her receptive to a ki transfer. The scroll related all such pressure points, but it recommended the ones around the breasts.

At this point, the scroll would have him quickly pull back his ki, creating a vacuum to draw in the ki of the subject, but Ranma did the opposite. Pushing more ki into his extended fingers, and helped along by the fact that Unazuki's body was low on the energy of life, he tried to transfer ki from his reserves into the unconscious girl.

Unfortunately, he realized as he tried, that wasn't going to work. Deciding to worry about the reasons later, Ranma channeled his own ki into his friend, and within seconds, he felt Unazuki stir.

Opening his eyes and breaking his trance-like state, the pigtailed negawarrior suddenly fell backward, landing hard on his backside. Doing that had taken a lot more out of him than he'd thought it would, and now he was very tired and very hungry. Akane was staring at him in shock, and he bet it was because he'd done something she'd never thought possible. Even he hadn't thought it possible before becoming a negawarrior AND reading Happosai's scroll.

Finally, Unazuki's eyes fluttered open, and she yawned. "What happened?" she asked, sitting up and stretching. Ranma did his best not to watch the interesting things that stretching did to his friend's body, but neither of the girls noticed.

"I don't know," Akane replied, looking puzzled. "When we got on stage, all of the sudden I felt really tired, and I kinda remember Ranma carrying us out of there."

"I don't really know what happened," Ranma lied, feeling a bit guilty, but he was not about to tell them what really happened. "Everyone started to collapse, and since it only started on stage, I figured I should get us out of there."

Ranma hoped his story would hold, and fortunately or unfortunately, the girls seemed too shaken to question him. "Let's just get out of here," suggested Akane. "I'm still kinda tired, but I'm really, really hungry!"

Helping Unazuki to her feet, Ranma smiled. "I can second that."

The redhead also managed a grin. "Well, let's see what I can do to remedy that problem over at the Parlor."

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Sailor Moon detransformed and called the police to the scene, the blonde Tsukino settling in to wait for the authorities next to her brother and his friend. Just as Usagi began to hear approaching sirens, the two kids awoke, both moaning about headaches.

"Neechan," asked Shingo in a weak voice. "What happened?"

Thinking quickly, the elder Tsukino replied, "There was a monster in there, but I don't know what happened. I blacked out after getting you two off the stage, and I only just woke up a couple of minutes ago."

In a rare display of gratitude, Shingo thanked his sister and gave her a big hug. Usagi, for her part, just hugged him back. This incident came entirely too close to catching the people close to her, and that only galvanized her decision to fight the enemy as Sailor Moon. While she felt a little bad about lying to her brother, Luna's admonition about keeping her identity a secret took precedent. She might fight with her brother, but she would never want to see him in danger.

Any further discussion was interrupted as police and paramedics arrived at the scene.

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Jadeite finally returned to the monitoring station much later than he'd anticipated, the details of Project Waveforce taking up too much of his time. Annoyed that he had surely missed the talent show trap, he teleported into the room to find no one there. 'Did the trap fail?' he wondered apprehensively.

His answer entered the room a moment later, beaten and battered, but alive. The youma lieutenant, one of the two snipers he'd assigned to help the captain in charge of the trap, knelt on the floor, out of breath. Her complexion, usually very pale, was a sickly green-white, and she was bleeding from several roses sticking out of her body in various places.

"Master Jadeite...' she rasped, coughing up blood as she tried to speak. "We ambushed Sailor Moon and her ally...but they were too strong...the others are dead. Moon killed...them."

The lieutenant collapsed with that, and the dark general rushed forward to check his soldier's wounds. Thankfully, she was still alive, only unconscious from her injuries. Still, she would need intensive healing, and Jadeite quickly teleported her to the medical center.

'Now to find out what happened in there,' thought the dark general, sitting at the monitoring console. All the surveillance equipment in the auditorium registered as destroyed, and the recordings were so degraded as to be useless. Checking the system logs revealed a powerful burst of energy had destroyed the surveillance crystals in the room and caused a surge that had erased half the recordings in the system, including the ones from the auditorium.

Jadeite slammed his fist into the console in rage, uttering a few choice curses in the native language of the Dark Kingdom. Now he would have to wait for that lieutenant to recover to learn even a little of what had happened in that room.

Before his anger could reach destructive levels, however, three more youma entered the room. "Master Jadeite," their leader greeted, saluting the dark general. "The harvesting operation was a complete success, sir. We captured more than seven hundred new subjects without significant interference, and all three of our harvesting stations are nearly full. Neither Sailor Moon nor her ally attacked while we worked."

The words soothed the anger in Jadeite over the talent show incident a great deal; even if the trap had failed to kill Sailor Moon and her ally, it had still succeeded in distracting them long enough to reverse all the failures so far. He now had more subjects than his original estimates suggested, and he could report this success to Queen Beryl. The news wasn't good enough to bring a smile to his face, but at least it made some of the sacrifices worthwhile.

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Finally home, Usagi dropped onto the couch in the Tsukino living room, dead tired. After fighting the battle, talking to police and paramedics, dodging the news people who had shown up on their heels, and enduring massive, worried hugs from both her parents, she was exhausted. Still, the police had seemed to take her story about a monster very seriously, and something about that really bothered her. Deciding that worries could at least wait until after a good night's sleep, at least.

Snagging the remote control, the blonde teen turned on the television, and seeing that it was a news program, she was about to change the channel when some of the reporter's words filtered into her fatigue-fogged brain.

"...so you're saying that a giant monster grabbed your sister and threw her into a 'black portal'?" asked the reporter.

The hysterical girl standing next to him sobbed, replying brokenly, "Yes, it did."

Turning back to the camera, the reporter said, "There you have it. A large creature attacked a movie theater and kidnapped the majority of the audience. Similar incidents have been reported all over Minato and Shinjuku this evening, including this movie theater, a shopping mall, and a radio station audi..."

Usagi tuned out the rest of the speech, her heart numb and her hands shaking with depression, sorrow, and a new wave of crushing weariness. 'All those people,' she thought numbly, her body automatically carrying her to her room even as tears traveled down her cheeks unnoticed. 'While I was fighting one battle, they took all those people.'

Without thought, the blonde sometime superhero collapsed face down on her bed, her tears slowly soaking into the pillow. She barely registered Luna's concern-filled words, her heart broken by the battle she surely could not win.

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Nephrite stood with the other generals as Jadeite made his report, a small smile of satisfaction on his face. Jadeite was doing very well in his mission, despite Sailor Moon's interference. Ranma was coming along nicely, just as Nephrite had predicted he would, and as long as Jadeite was doing well, Nephrite was free to teach his protégé. Finally, even though he didn't particularly like the man, Kunzite's training was quickly bringing more Special Forces youma into active duty for Terra-side combat. The war would soon be won if they continued with these kinds of results.

"Very good, Jadeite," intoned Queen Beryl, favoring him with one of her rare smiles. "I am glad that your mission is proceeding well."

Nephrite glanced at Jadeite, and his friend looked satisfied for the first time in a long while. However, that expression dimmed at the queen's next words. "However, Jadeite, you have lost many youma, and while you have the potential to give us a great deal of renewable energy, your missions and research have left our lifeforce reserves lower than when you started. I give you leave to continue to operate at your own discretion, especially your pet project, but I warn you: do not fail me. The results would be most...unpleasant."

Nephrite recognized the dismissal, and so, apparently, did Jadeite. All the present generals knelt and saluted, fist over heart, to their queen before departing, Zoisite and Kunzite simply vanishing in a flash of dark power. Jadeite, to his credit, did not scowl until he'd turned away from the queen, practically stalking from the throne room. Nephrite hurried to catch up with his fellow dark general, placing a hand on Jadeite's shoulder in the anteroom beyond the crystal doors.

"She wants the impossible," Jadeite growled to him without turning or slowing. "I cannot gain energy instantly, and I cannot do it without spending some! And she acts like there aren't casualties in WAR!! You know I don't like them, but they are necessary for our victory."

"Don't worry, my friend," Nephrite replied, trying to calm the other general. "Now that you have all those subjects, everything will work out. You'll turn a profit, and her majesty won't have anything to complain about. As for the casualties, I know we will lose some of our soldiers in this war, but as generals we must accept that and move on, not dwell on it. I would hate to see you consumed with bitterness over this campaign, especially after so many in the past."

Some of the tension left Jadeite's form at Nephrite's words, and he replied, "I suppose you're right. She always was rather demanding, wasn't she?"

"Tell you what," suggested Nephrite. "Why don't we go out to my villa and relax for a little while. I don't have to be back to teach Ranma for another couple of hours, and you look like you could use a rest."

After a moment's thought, Jadeite agreed, and the two dark generals headed for a brief bit of relaxation. "By the way, Jadeite," Nephrite said as they walked. "We really need to work on your aliases. I mean really, 'Jay Daitou'?"

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Author's Notes:

I finally finished this part, though it was more real world crap and less writer's block that delayed it. Coincidentally, sorry for the 'long spawn time', as one of my reviewers called it. Once again there is a new heavy weight champion of my fic parts: this one rings in at almost 20,000 words according to my word processor.

Okay, I'm sure that the biggest complaint about this part will be the somewhat OOC nature of Ranma's 'punishment' of the youma that drained his friends. I admit, it was a little out of character, but it really worked for me. A few things I can point out before the review lynching is that A) Ranma is fiercely loyal to his friends, B) he really wasn't aware of how powerful the blast was when he decided to try his new technique, C) he's always hyped up about learning new techniques and trying them out, and D) he's quite impatient, not really showing any real forethought to his actions unless it is a battle strategy against a direct enemy.

Next time: Chapter 3 Part 5: Between Cold and Calculating! Until then.


	13. Chapter 3 E5: Cold and Calculating

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

Well, I haven't done a real disclaimer in quite a while, so I'm going to give it a shot for once. Ranma ½ is the property of Takahashi Rumiko and Sailor Moon is the property of Takeuchi Naoko, and elements from each have been blended here to make a smooth and refreshing drink...er, work of fanfiction meant to honor these creators by way of imitation, the sincerest form of flattery. The other reason to make a somewhat normal disclaimer this time is to spare the poor readers from the author's rather twisted and bizarre sense of humor.

Chapter Three: Dreaming in Moonlight

Episode Five: Between Cold and Calculating

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Jadeite and the newly recovered Akonei teleported from the medical center to the dark general's R&D section, heading for a meeting with the section chief, Dr. Merul. Due to Ranma's very timely interference, the healers had been able to not only get Akonei back to operational health, but they had even been able to regenerate her arm thanks to how quickly they started treatment. Consequently, Jadeite felt he owed Ranma a debt, and Akonei had already told him that she wanted to express her gratitude to her savior as well. Besides, it was good to have his normal adjutant back. Pushing these thoughts from his head as they appeared in the meeting room, Jadeite kept his mind firmly from his idle thoughts and focused on Project Waveforce.

In the meeting room, around a lozenge-shaped obsidian table, were two negalytes. The first, one of the oldest negalytes in the Dark Kingdom, was Dr, Merul, a man who had changed from negawarrior to negalyte due to negaforce exposure before Jadeite had even been born. No one even knew the elder negalyte's first name anymore, preferring to call him doctor or the more familiar 'doc'. The second negalyte was unfamiliar to Jadeite, but he had a vague recollection of her as Dr. Merul's lab assistant.

Merul himself was just a hair shorter than Jadeite with a long grey beard that reached below his knees and hair of the same length and color. Though his skin had turned pitch black from his transformation into a negalyte, his bright blue eyes had never taken on the cat-like slit pupil that was a common trait in most negalytes, and he looked at the dark general from under his bushy grey eyebrows as he examined everything: with piercing intensity. The venerable being wore a white lab coat, surprising Jadeite, in the current style of Terran scientists, and his black pants and boots made him seem to be a disembodied head floating over an empty lab coat.

The assistant, also dressed in a white lab coat, though hers was sleeveless, had pale aquamarine skin. It was obvious why her coat was cut in that manner as sharp, bony ridges grew from her forearms, contrasting with her skin in a bright crimson. Her hair, the same shade as her skin, flowed down to the small of her back, and her amphibian-like tail twitched nervously behind her through a slit in the back of her lab coat.

"Hello, General Jadeite," Merul greeted the negawarrior, and once again Jadeite was reminded that Merul was not actually his subordinate, but rather, he worked as he wished. His status as the most brilliant researcher and construct theorist in the Dark Kingdom gave him that right, and even Queen Beryl was hesitant to give him orders. "It is good to see you again."

"Greetings, Dr. Merul," replied the blonde negawarrior. "How goes the project?"

Smirking at him, Merul answered, "You never were one for small talk, were you, Jadeite. Very well then."

Before continuing, Merul motioned for the negawarrior and the youma to sit at the table, and after taking his own seat, the doctor said, "Project Waveforce is proceeding apace, but it is still a few days from completion."

Jadeite scowled at his words, but the venerable negalyte spoke again before the dark general could voice his concerns. "However, I have an interesting little device for you. My lab assistant, here, came up with it."

The shorter, female negalyte blushed at her superior's recognition, but Jadeite focused on Dr. Merul. "What is it?"

Producing a crystal disk the same size as a compact disk, Merul said, "While working on the waveforce project, young Jumako here decided to try to apply some of the theory on a smaller device in her spare time, and she succeeded admirably."

The negalyte's blush, a darker blue coloration spreading across her cerulean skin, increased at the doctor's praise, and she mumbled, "It isn't really all that good, doctor."

"Nonsense, young one," insisted Merul, smiling at his increasingly embarrassed lab assistant.

"So what does it do, doctor?" asked Jadeite, both impatient and intrigued. Anything that Merul praised this highly must be pretty impressive. Dr. Merul was not known for giving praise generously.

"Well, general," answered Merul. "It will drain lifeforce from humans, but only in a specific circumstance. Let me tell you how it came about."

Before Jadeite could protest, the venerable negalyte began, and Jadeite knew better than to interrupt Merul unless it was a true emergency. "In the course of our research on Project Waveforce, Jumako and I traveled to Terra for research. In fact, you would be surprised how different the humans of this time are from the humans of the Silver Millennium. True, their forms have changed little in the twenty thousand years the barrier was active, but mentally and energy-wise, the difference is enormous.

"What we discovered was that the flows of lifeforce through the human body have changed drastically from the last time we were able to study fully human subjects. As you know, you generals are the only human negawarriors who were able to stave off the change for our long imprisonment, and even all of you are at least one quarter of the way through."

Jadeite nodded at the almost rhetorical piece of information; not a day passed when he didn't think about the changes altering his body from its original form. Certainly, the high-level rejuvenation constructs he used kept him from aging, but even they could protect him from the long-term effects of negaforce exposure, both internal and external, for only so long.

"Since it is rather expensive to travel back and forth from Terra on a regular basis, we also gathered several pieces of current Terran technology for study, and among those items was a computer."

The blonde negawarrior had seen what the humans of this time called a computer, and he had scoffed at such a low-powered device. He still remembered the great crystalline super-computers of Mercury, and even the hand held devices of the Silver Millennium put the modern, electricity-driven computers to shame.

Merul interrupted his thoughts by continuing. "In Jumako's study of the device, she correlated her findings with Project Waveforce to create this. It is not nearly as powerful or versatile as the tape we are developing for the project, but it will work well for close-range draining."

"So what do you suggest?" asked Jadeite, wanting Merul to get to the point.

Merul shook his head at the general's impatience, but nonetheless, he continued. "These disks, if placed in a current Terran computer, will stimulate the mental processes of the user, the more intelligent the user the better, generating more energy in the subject. Of course, it will drain that user, though not to the point of death, and hold the lifeforce in a reservoir built into each disk. As you can see, it takes more work since you have to recover the disk, but it could still be productive."

Beryl was still on his case about not having yet made a profit on the energy he'd used, and Jadeite was eager for some respite from the overbearing ruler. "How soon can you provide me with a significant number of these disks?"

Merul smiled, showing his sharp, ivory-white teeth to the dark general. "We have one hundred ready for use right now, General Jadeite."

Jadeite smirked; that was precisely why he liked Dr. Merul.

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Considering she was just out for a morning jog on the only day she didn't have to be at school, Saotome Ranma would have thought she'd be happier. Of course, being wet, cold, and female began her troubles, and the pus-dripping, multi-tentacled monster tearing up the street in front of her was just the icing on the cake.

Only a block from her apartment, at the very start of a planned fifteen kilometer run around Juuban to start a good day of training, an old woman washing the walk in front of her door didn't see the black-haired boy jogging by. Deciding that she would still have a good day, Ranma continued her jog, but now, standing about two blocks from the Crown Center, a disgusting creature had appeared from a black miasma.

Forming her sensory constructs and preparing to step aside to watch, Ranma looked at the monster and received a shock. Rather than sensing the dark energy of negaforce at work, Ranma felt only pure evil from the creature, the black, oily aura of absolute malice. The pigtailed girl had only felt this kind of aura once before, and a smirk came to her face as she remembered.

A couple of weeks before arriving in Jusenkyo, Ranma and Genma had arrived in a small village, the people there claiming that a daemon was attacking their livestock and some of their children. Recognizing them as martial artists, the people begged Genma to fight the daemon, offering him everything from food and sake to a large, to the villagers, sum of money. Eventually, her father had agreed to their request, and the two of them had hunted the daemon in the wooded hills around the village for three days, eventually coming upon the misshapen creature.

The monster, looking like a large mosquito, was busy exsanguinating a large pig with its long proboscis when they approached, and Genma immediately leapt on its back to break its wings, forcing it to fight on the ground. For what amounted to a large bug, that one had put up quite a fight against the two martial artists, but they eventually managed to kill it. The most memorable thing about the creature was its aura, and now Ranma faced another creature, even more disgusting, with an almost identical black stain for a soul.

Her smirk turning evil, the pigtailed girl realized that this was an opponent against whom she could really cut loose, and Ranma had been itching to use some of the attack constructs Nephrite had recently been teaching her. Forming a shield construct to shelter her from any nasty surprises the creature might have waiting, Ranma leapt to attack, her hands holding black orbs of dark, destructive power.

This being an honest to kami daemon, the redhead didn't bother with any kind of battle cry, opting to simply cut loose and attack full force, and indeed, her initial attack seemed to do a good deal of damage. Jumping high into the air and dropping on the daemon from above, Ranma snagged one of its many writhing tentacles in a black-gloved hand, the simple construct covering her hand releasing a burst of pure negaforce into the offending extremity. The result was predictable, and the neophyte negawarrior's smirk grew as an explosion of annihilating ki and negaforce severed the limb.

Landing in a crouch to avoid two other ropy appendages trying to strike her as the creature screamed in pain, Ranma pivoted on one leg to drive the other heel into the monster's main body in what would have been a sweep on a humanoid opponent. While the daemon did not fall, its howl of pain was more than satisfying to the red-haired girl. Ranma performed a quick shoulder roll and chopped two more tentacles, both falling to the ground as her construct continued to make itself useful.

Unfortunately for the creature, Ranma was beginning to grow bored with it, and if she wasn't enjoying a fight, the redhead was likely to finish it. Continuing to dodge tentacle strikes with neglectful ease, the negawarrior closed again with the beast.

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Usagi truly wished she wasn't walking in the commercial district near the Crown Center at seven in the morning on a Sunday; she would like nothing more than to be asleep at that very moment. Unfortunately for her, at six that morning, the blonde teen's eyes had snapped open, and a terrible feeling, coiling like an icy snake in her gut, kept her from sleep. She had almost transformed right then and there from the sheer dread, but Usagi held off, deciding to investigate further.

The elder Tsukino child had dressed quietly in her pink sweats and slipped out of the house, following the feeling as it grew stronger. Eventually, the clenching fear led her to the street where the Crown Center was located, and she found the probable cause of her feeling. A large, pus-dripping, many-tentacled monster was there, destroying anything within reach. Ducking into an alleyway, Usagi grasped her transformation brooch, and a brief light show later, Sailor Moon raced from the alley, intent on dealing with yet another threat to her Universe...but someone was already there!

Moon skidded to a stop and gaped at the short, red-haired girl who was tearing up the enemy, dodging its strikes with greater speed than the blonde Senshi had ever seen and tearing into its flesh with strong, unarmed blows. Of course, Moon didn't miss the fact that the girl was surrounded by a blue aura, and she especially noticed the dark energy around the redhead's hands. It reminded her, somehow, of that blonde enemy who'd gotten away, but why would a warrior for the Dark Kingdom be destroying one of their own allies?

A roar of pain returned Moon's attention to the continuing battle, and she quickly saw what caused the creature to shriek: in the girl's black-encased hands, a large chunk of the daemon's flesh dripped green-black blood, which ate into the asphalt of the street like acid. Looking back at the hellish creature, she could see the gaping wound in its side, in addition to several severed and cauterized tentacles. It amazed her that the girl barely noticed the effect of the creature's blood, but apparently the blue and black energies encompassing her warded the redhead from its damaging properties.

After tossing aside the chunk of daemonic flesh, Usagi heard the redhead taunt the monster, saying, "You sure are hard to kill, daemon. Guess I'll have to try harder."

Whether the monster understood her or not, its roar of rage and agony certainly made it seem like her words angered it. The beast lashed out with three of its remaining tentacles, and the girl, in keeping with her fighting style, continued to dodge them like a wisp of smoke. Side stepping one more tentacle strike, the redhead changed her tactics. Jumping on the offending tentacle and using it to spring high above the monster, she brought her hands together, their dark aura intensifying in a blinding flash. Then, with a yell, the pigtailed girl released a beam of intense darkness at the creature.

As the beam struck, the creature seemed to collapse in on itself, tentacles being pressed into the sides of its disgusting body, and then, in a shower of slimy gore, the daemon exploded. Pus, blood, and unmentionably disturbing chunks of flesh rained upon the street and surrounding buildings, but the strange, red-haired devil hunter Moon was watching managed to drop back to the street after the remaining gore had already landed, showing very little daemonic blood on her red Chinese shirt or black pants. Even as the blue and black auras that the girl used to fight faded, Moon rushed forward to congratulate the girl on winning the battle.

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Easily dodging yet another tentacle strike, Ranma decided that it was about time to end this. With her new abilities as a negawarrior, the beast, obviously a low-level daemon if it was this weak and slow, was no match for her; in fact, she could have taken it before she became a negawarrior. Still using her ki in the normal way to increase her strength and speed, Ranma's blue battle aura blazed around her, but the real fun came from the constructs she held in each hand, their simple effect being satisfyingly effective. At each blow, the bit of monstrous flesh she struck would explode a moment later, the negaforce annihilating with the creature's evil-stained ki. She had even ripped a chunk of flesh from the daemon's body, but largely, the battle wasn't even a challenge.

"You sure are hard to kill, daemon," the negawarrior taunted the beast in a mocking tone. "Guess I'll have to try harder."

The creature's reply, an angry roar, made Ranma certain that it had understood her, and just to cap the cocky taunt, the redhead firmly planted a smirk on her face. The red-haired negawarrior dodged several more tentacle strikes, affecting a bored expression, and then used one more tentacle as a springboard, launching herself high above the hell-spawned monstrosity.

Quickly, Ranma applied a new construct to the negaforce already in her hands, and the dark aura surrounding them flashed. The construct, one that Nephrite had used on her during their training, contained a great deal of raw negaforce, Ranma added a Saotome twist to the original one Nephrite taught him. Added to the leading edge of the blast was an inverted shield construct made to surround the creature as it struck, containing the annihilation energy within the barrier.

Even as she watched, the blast struck and the barrier enveloped the daemon, clenching around the beast like a fist even as the negaforce annihilated with the beast's malevolent ki, and then, with the pain of her inverted shield construct almost shredding apart before she released it, the blast broke the barrier and chunks of daemon littered the area.

Ranma landed easily in the remains of the hell spawn, letting her legs bend slightly to absorb the impact. Regardless of how easy she considered the battle, using her negawarrior powers like that for the first time was tiring and draining to her reserves. Now, as she checked them, she found the reservoir of ki in her aura at a little less than twenty five percent, and the pain in her head from nearly shredding her own barrier was worse than the time her father had talked her into a drinking contest against him.

The pigtailed negawarrior was just massaging her temples to try to relieve some of the pain when a cheerful voice spoke up behind her. "That was great!"

Startled more by the fact that she hadn't sensed anyone behind her than the voice itself, Ranma leapt two meters into the air, coming back down in a combat stance to face...Sailor Moon! Instantly on guard, Ranma looked at the Moon Senshi, knowing that she was not up to fighting an enemy like the blonde magical girl, especially after killing that daemon.

"Wow!" continued Moon, chirping at Ranma in an annoyingly bubbly voice. "Thank you so much for killing that monster. It's nice to know I'm not alone trying to save our world."

Being lumped in the same category as such a savage killer as the Moon Senshi made Ranma sick, and even though she had just killed a daemon, that was different! That creature was mindlessly malevolent, intent on as much destruction as it could achieve before its death. If Ranma hadn't destroyed it, someone else would have later, and the cost in damage and life would have been much greater.

Giving the Moon Senshi one more look of distrust and disgust, Ranma jumped to the roof of a nearby building, intent on traveling down to Tokyo harbor. It may not be the best time to hunt, but if real daemons were going to be showing up, the pigtailed negawarrior needed to keep her reserves full.

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Moon watched as the red-haired girl jumped to a third story roof and leapt away; she never even spoke to the blonde Senshi. In fact, if Moon didn't know better, she would have thought the girl didn't like her, but since they'd never met before, how was that possible? Thankfully, though, the coiling dread that had drawn her to the battle had subsided once the girl destroyed the daemon.

Even as the blonde Senshi returned to her normal form in a nearby alley, she reflected on the battle she'd witnessed, wondering if that girl could be another Senshi. Resolving to ask Luna about it, she headed home.

It was almost eight o'clock when the Tsukino daughter arrived at her house, and as usual when Usagi went somewhere without asking, Ikuko was waiting for her at the door.

"Usagi!" her mother cried as she opened the door. "Where on earth have you been?! After you were involved in that incident yesterday, I went to check on you this morning and you were gone! You are going to worry your mother to death."

While saying all of this, Ikuko had wrapped her teenage daughter in a crushing hug, and Usagi's face was turning blue by the time the older woman released her.

"Well?" asked the blue-haired woman while the younger girl gasped for breath. "Where were you?!"

"I'm sorry, Okaasan," replied Usagi in a small voice. "I didn't mean to worry you; I was just out taking a walk because I couldn't sleep."

The anger and worry in Ikuko's eyes faded with the apology and explanation, and she said, "That's alright, Usagi-chan. Just, next time, leave a note or something."

Nodding to her mother, the blonde girl promised, "I will, Mom."

"Now," Ikuko continued, her scowl deepening again, "I heard from one of my friends that you missed an exam on Friday when you were out sick, and I remember how you did on your last test. Since you'll be taking the make up exam tomorrow, I want you in your room studying all day today!"

Usagi's eyes widened at this; how could she spend the only day she didn't have to go to school studying?! Looking into her mother's eyes, the blonde Tsukino realized that there would be no arguing the point, and after reluctantly agreeing to her mother's demand, Ikuko smiled brightly.

"Alright dear," she said, her voice happy once again. "Let's go have breakfast; you can get to studying afterward."

Not at all looking forward to spending her day off studying, Usagi had quite forgotten to ask Luna about the redhead by the end of breakfast.

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Akane knocked on the door to Ranma's apartment, her anticipation for their full contact spar growing by the minute. Her pigtailed friend was a very good martial artist, and there was nothing like a good fight to get a martial artist's blood going. Waiting about fifteen seconds for the door to open, the raven-haired girl's patience wore out and she knocked again. For about five minutes, this pattern repeated, and just as Akane's temper was almost gone, a sleepy-looking bishonen man with long brown hair and wearing a grey robe opened the door.

"What do you want?" he asked in an annoyed voice, eyes barely open.

Taken by surprise, Akane stared at the unknown man for a moment before collecting her wits. "Um," she said hesitantly, "is Ranma here?"

The man grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "what on terra is this? 'can ranma come out to play?'," but Akane let it slide, considering she didn't know him. Logically, this must be Ranma's guardian, but having never met the man before, she didn't know quite how to react to him.

Obviously turning his attention back to Akane, the man said, "Ranma left earlier for a jog, but I'm sure he'll be back later."

Disappointment at the delay showing on Akane's face, she replied, "Okay, please tell him I came by. Sorry for waking you up."

Shaking his head and mumbling something to the effect of "no problem," the brown-haired man closed the door, and Akane, lacking anything better to do, headed back to her apartment for a little studying. 'Ranma,' she thought, an edge to her mental tone, 'you'd better come back for our spar.'

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Turning away from the door, Nephrite grumbled a bit more, incoherently, and then, with a sigh of regret, he formed a rejuvenation construct and morphed his 'robe' into its standard form, the grey uniform he'd worn almost every day since becoming a Guardian. 'The first time I let myself sleep since Ranma's test and someone wakes me up ten minutes in...' the dark general thought with an almost inaudible sigh. 'Typical.'

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Gurio Umino, information dealer for Juuban Junior High, was working his trade on his normal day off. With Tendo-sama's sister in this area of Tokyo, he had the opportunity to gain her attention, and he wasn't going to pass up such a rare chance, especially for a Junior High student. Tendo Nabiki's network of information dealers and amateur bookies spanned over half of Tokyo's High and Junior High schools, including every school in the Nerima, Shinjuku, and Minato wards. It was even rumored that she had a few agents in the Primary schools, though Umino found it hard to believe that anyone younger than Junior High age was intelligent enough to comprehend the network's purpose. Tendo-sama was a powerful woman for only a second-year High School student.

As Gurio walked through the commercial area containing, among other things, the Crown Center and his normal route to school, a surprising sight came into view. Police had roped off a partially destroyed area of street, and through the crowd forming at the edge of the police lines, the nerdish boy could see that the street was completely wrecked. Pulling out the small black notebook he used to catalogue such unusual events, Umino began to take notes, formulating a report he could write tonight and file the following day at his drop. Who ever knew what Tendo-sama would find interesting, but a lesson well learned by being a junior member of her organization was that information was never without value.

It was nearly half an hour later, ten thirty in the morning by a public clock, when the young information dealer finished taking his notes. It wouldn't be an exhaustive report, but it would certainly cover the needs of a preliminary report. If Tendo-sama or one of her lieutenants felt the event was important, they would request more information via his drop, and thinking of which, he would check it before heading home to write his report on the incident.

Walking into an alley leading to the narrow way behind the commercial buildings, Umino walked quickly and calmly toward the black mailbox that was his main contact with Tendo-sama's network, his mind still going over how he would word his report on the incident in the street. However, he quickly snapped back to reality when he approached the mailbox as there was a figure standing next to it, leaning against the wall with arms crossed in front.

Slowing to a more cautious pace, Umino surreptitiously studied the individual, obviously waiting at the drop for him. She was older than him, probably in High School, and if she was standing straight, she would probably stand about half a head taller than him. The girl's brown hair was cut short, and she wore a light blue blouse and white slacks combination that flattered her figure. Her eyes were closed, but as he silently approached, she said, "Gurio Umino."

The sound of his name, less a question than a statement, brought the young information dealer up short, and a small amount of fear coiled in his stomach. Could this be some representative of a rival network, out to get him like the Yakuza dealt with competition?

The girl's eyes opened, and Umino had never seen such a piercing gaze. The girl's liquid brown orbs gazed into his own eyes through his glasses, seeming to pierce his soul. In precise tones, she asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Wordlessly, the nerdish boy shook his head. Her face seemed familiar, but he could not place it. As he denied knowing her, the brown-haired girl smirked. "Well, recently I've gotten to know you, if only from your reports. Why don't we go to the nearest kissa and you can tell me more about this 'talent show incident' involving my sister. I'm very interested."

Umino's heart leapt into his throat, and he almost passed out from shock. This woman was Tendo Nabiki-sama herself!! Nodding woodenly and walking forward when she motioned for him to lead, Gurio Umino led the person he respected most to breakfast.

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It was nearly noon when Tendo Nabiki left the kissa, leaving the hapless young man to his own devices. The boy, Gurio, had some potential, especially for a Junior High schooler, but he had no technique yet. Nabiki smirked to herself; he might be hapless, but his information was valuable, if only in the sense of keeping track of her sister.

Walking from the small commercial area where she'd ambushed her agent, Nabiki made her way to the apartment building where Akane was living now, reflecting on why her younger sister was now living away from home. The middle Tendo daughter would have let Kuno's idiocy continue indefinitely were it not for the incident that had immediately preceded her sister's absence from the dojo. Kuno's deranged mind was going more and more with each morning fight, and one day, he arrived at school with a real katana rather than his customary bokken. What followed was Akane fighting for her life against the moronic Kuno heir, and while she had won the battle, she didn't come out unscathed. Several cuts and scrapes adorned her sister after the fight, and Nabiki immediately took Akane to Dr. Tofu's clinic.

The next day, Nabiki contacted Kuno's attorneys, and with her threats to sue, she received a large settlement so that Tatewaki would remain eccentric rather than insane in the eyes of the general public. Nabiki decided to get her sister away from the madness at Furinkan High, and with the money from the settlement, a sum that the Kuno family probably wouldn't even miss, Nabiki could now afford to keep Akane safe from the moron, not that she didn't intend to continue to leech money off of him due to his obsession.

Arriving at the apartment building, Nabiki rode the elevator to the twelfth floor, knocking on Akane's door when she reached it. Nabiki waited as she heard bare feet approaching, and the door swung open a moment later.

"Ranma, where have you—" said Akane's voice as the door opened, and Nabiki raised an eyebrow at her little sister's startled expression when the raven-haired girl saw who was on the other side of the door, though it quickly changed to delight. "Oh, hi Nabiki! I didn't know you were coming over today!"

Nabiki smirked at her younger sister, adding one more thing to tease her about to the list, along with another watch-word for her network's information gatherers. "Hello to you, imouto-chan," she replied in a wry tone.

"Please," said Akane, stepping out of her sister's way. "Come on in, neechan."

Slipping off her shoes at the door, Nabiki followed the youngest Tendo into the small apartment, remembering the layout from when she'd first rented it. Umishi-san had given her a great deal on the place for keeping silent about a certain matter, and she was glad that Akane was not squandering her called favor. Seeing several pieces of furniture from the dojo made the living room feel more like home, and she was certain that if she looked in Akane's bedroom, it would be almost identical to the arrangement of her room at home, especially since the younger girl had moved all of her furniture here.

"So Nabiki," Akane began. "What brings you here?"

Affecting a hurt tone, Nabiki replied, "What ever do you mean, Akane? Can't I visit my baby sister?"

Akane looked irritated and happy at the same time in the usual way she reacted to Nabiki's teasing, but the middle Tendo daughter wasn't nearly done ribbing her imouto. "Oh, and who is this Ranma? Only here a week and you already have a boyfriend?"

Akane blushed a deep crimson before throwing a pillow from the couch at her older sister, and Nabiki smirked harder. "He's just a friend from school, Nabiki," she said, embarrassment clear in her tone.

"Really?" asked the elder girl in mock surprise. "So why is he coming by on a Sunday?"

Akane growled, though Nabiki knew that she wasn't really upset. "He's a martial artist, and we were going to spar today."

For the first time since arriving in Juuban, Nabiki was truly surprised. Akane wanting to spar with a boy? Maybe this move was just what her little sister needed; if Akane was willing to have a friendly spar with a boy, she was making real progress. Nabiki smiled at her sister. "I don't really have anything to do today, Akane. You want to hang out?"

Akane smiled brightly at her sister before the discussion moved on to the mundane chatting of family separated for a short time.

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After his meeting with Dr. Merul and collecting the supply of crystal disks, Jadeite and Akonei teleported to the Shinjuku harvesting station, the dark general ready to perform his next harvesting and distraction scheme. Distraction because he couldn't afford for Sailor Moon to disrupt Project Waveforce at this point and harvesting because Queen Beryl would disapprove of any operation that didn't net at least some lifeforce.

As they arrived, Corporal Kinja rushed up, greeting the general and his adjutant. "Hello, Master Jadeite. What can I do for you?"

"Is Captain Tetis still here?" Jadeite questioned, and at the corporal's nod, he asked, "Where is she?"

"Captain Tetis is sleeping, sir," answered Kinja, but almost hesitantly, she continued, "And she's been rather unresponsive since returning from her last mission, Master Jadeite."

Remembering the perfunctory report on her last mission, the dark general's face twisted into a minor scowl. Although he told the negalyte that she could perform the given mission at her own discretion, she should have known that did not give her authorization to involve another youma. It wasn't actually disobeying orders, but it certainly did not make Jadeite happy.

Walking through corridors of trickle-drain crystals with humans inside, the blonde negawarrior made his way to the barracks, entering without knocking and finding Tetis on a bunk, eyes open but glazed.

"Captain," Jadeite said, his voice stern. "I have an assignment for you."

When Tetis did not move, her superior spoke again, more forcefully. "Captain, get up."

Still, the ice negalyte did not move, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling, and Jadeite was at the end of his patience. Grasping the negalyte by the front of her tunic, he dragged Tetis to her feet and planted a hard slap to her face, yelling, "Snap out of it!!"

Tetis blinked then, and her slate eyes focusing on Jadeite, she spoke hesitantly. "I'm sorry, Master Jadeite."

Releasing the spec ops captain and letting his temper cool, Jadeite began to reconsider trying to use the negalyte in his latest scheme, and in the end, he decided against it. Turning to his subordinate, Jadeite said, "Captain, go to the medical center in Dark Moon and have them check you out. Report to me when they give you a clean bill of health." 'Physical and mental,' the dark general added in his mind.

"Yes sir," Tetis replied, her voice a bare shadow of its former confident tone. With that, she teleported away, and Jadeite considered his options. Without Tetis' usual expertise in infiltration and tactics, not to mention her combat skills, the task would be a bit more difficult. There were a few other youma among his forces that he could trust to carry out the assignment, but he would have to teleport them from the Negaverse. Queen Beryl would not like the lifeforce expenditure needed to do so.

Still, with Tetis out of the loop, he had no choice, and as Akonei approached him, he said, "I need Lieutenants Koma and Mano transported to Terra for this assignment, Akonei. Have them take the disks and infiltrate the target location. They need to be done before afternoon classes begin."

Nodding, his adjutant was already beginning to cast her communications sorcery and relaying his orders. Jadeite turned away, trusting Akonei to do her duties, and he thought, 'How ironic that we are going to use the crystal disks at a place called Crystal Seminar Prep School.'

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It was late afternoon before a male Ranma returned to his apartment building, his reserves full and his muscles pleasantly sore from an intense workout. After killing the daemon and gaining a true gauge of his fighting abilities against the caliber of enemy that he would likely face in the future, the pigtailed negawarrior decided that he'd been neglecting the physical side of his training. So, after putting himself through the best workout he could think of in the city, Ranma felt better.

As he approached the building's exterior door, though, a figure made itself known, and Ranma felt a chill go up his spine.

"Ranma," growled the raven-haired girl standing just outside the lobby. "Where were you? I thought we were going to spar!"

Putting his hands up in a warding gesture at his friend's angry attitude, Ranma replied, "Sorry Akane. I had some things I had to do, and they took longer than I expected."

In his mind, Ranma knew he had no intention to have a full contact sparring session with his lesser-skilled friend, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. He just hoped she bought the excuse.

Akane's face softened, but not much. "I guess it's okay," she said in a hesitant voice, barely calm. "My sister stopped by, so we really wouldn't have had the time for a good match."

Just as Ranma was looking relieved, Akane continued. "But, I want your promise that we'll have a good sparring match next Sunday!"

Wincing, the pigtailed negawarrior tried to find some excuse to get him out of this mess, but nothing came to mind, especially in the face of Akane's large, liquid-brown eyes distracting him with a 'cute attack'. Obviously, this meant a lot to her.

Sighing in defeat, Ranma replied, "I'll spar with you next weekend. But if something comes up, I might still have to give you a rain check."

Akane gave him a slightly dubious look, saying, "I guess that's the best I'm going to get, but you have to tell me before you go."

Assuming that was as close as he would get to avoiding such a confrontation, Ranma nodded his assent, and as usual, Akane's anger left as quickly as it came, leaving her smiling. "Come on up to my apartment, Ranma. I want to introduce you to my sister."

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Nabiki was puzzled when Akane suddenly jumped up and ran out of her apartment. She didn't think she'd said anything so bad that it would send her sister running, but the raven-haired Tendo had left the apartment at a speed just short of a sprint. About five minutes later, Akane returned, practically dragging a black-haired boy with her, and a moment later, the Tendo martial heir made the introductions.

"Ranma," she said, gesturing to her elder sister. "This is Tendo Nabiki, my older sister."

Pointing toward this Ranma, Akane turned to look at Nabiki. "Nabiki, this is my new friend, Saotome Ranma."

Upon hearing that the boy's family name was Saotome, Nabiki immediately went into opportunist mode, and considering that her and Akane's father was, at that moment, in China searching for Saotome Genma with Saotome Nodoka, meeting someone with the same last name was quite the coincidence. Saotome was not exactly the most common of names.

Everyone sitting down, the Tendo mercenary studied the pigtailed boy surreptitiously, making sure that he would not realize that he was being studied. Nabiki had several points of interest, not the least of which was her sister's well being, and he wasn't hard on the eyes, either. If Akane wanted to go out with him, she had certainly picked an excellent specimen of the male species. Of course, she would need to keep tabs on this boy as well, and that girl named Furuhata Unazuki, since they were now Akane's friends. It wouldn't do to let her baby sister get hurt again.

As the duo talked, the middle Tendo daughter stored away their words for later, putting the eidetic memory that was one of her greatest blessings to use. Instead of actually listening, Nabiki watched the two teens' body language and listened for subtext in their tones. A keen eye for such things is how she stayed on top, and the ice queen wasn't about to let any opportunities pass her by.

For the first time in quite a while, Nabiki now saw Akane comfortable around a boy, and since one of the lesser reasons for getting her this apartment was that she at least give boys a chance, the master information dealer was quite pleased with the situation...even if it meant that she lost that bet with Kasumi. She knew that she should never bet against her older sister, but the wager had seemed so alluring at the time. Akane was talking animatedly, and the boy was at least smiling.

For Ranma's part, he seemed a bit nervous, but that was understandable. Being in the home of a cute girl like Akane for, apparently, the first time, she knew, could be pretty intimidating for boys. Nabiki thanked the kami for the umpteenth time for making her sister so easy to read; otherwise, she might have misinterpreted his nervousness as dislike.

Suddenly, a flag in regards to the conversation pinged in her mind, and she replayed the last thing her sister had said.

"Don't worry about dinner, Ranma," said the smiling Akane, her voice cheerful. "I'll cook dinner for the three of us!"

If Nabiki had any less control over her emotions, fear would have caused her to break into a cold sweat; if she didn't head this off quickly, her sister might be down a friend. And she didn't necessarily mean that he would just stop being her friend: lives could be at stake.

"Akane," Nabiki spoke up for the first time in the conversation. "Why don't you let me get us all take out, since I dropped by. We don't get to spend much time together anymore, and I'd hate to waste it while you cook."

The younger Tendo seemed to be considering her words, and while there was little chance of it, Akane always attempted to find some reason to be offended when anyone tried to dissuade her from cooking.

After a moment of consideration, Akane acquiesced to Nabiki's offer, and it was everything the middle Tendo sister could do not to breathe a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was to be sick on the way home.

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Usagi stared at her history book, but the kanji were blurring together. Since breakfast, she had been in her room trying to study for her make up exam, with only a break for lunch. Hopefully, dinner would be ready soon, but the blonde felt that her eyes would fall out of their sockets if she didn't have a break. Getting up from her low table and flopping down on the bed, Usagi closed her eyes and tried to get the phantom kanji to vanish from behind her eyelids. A light bounce on her bed signaled that Luna had jumped up, but the girl didn't want to hear her guardian, yet again, entreat her to get back to her studies.

"Usagi," spoke the voice of the black moon guardian. "Maybe you should take a break from school work."

Those words, however, caused the Tsukino daughter's eyes to open wide; Luna never told her what she wanted to hear! Usagi looked at the moon cat like the black furred guardian was sick, but Luna paid her no mind and continued. "I think we should study some more magic."

Usagi fell back to the bed, her worries about the lunar feline put to rest. 'Of course,' she thought, almost dejected. 'If it isn't fighting the Dark Kingdom or school work, it's studying magic. I can admit that learning magic is fun, but I've barely gotten a break this past week.'

Opening her eyes once more, the blonde sometime superhero decided to give her attention to Luna before the moon guardian used her claws to get it, but before she could launch into another lecture on magic, the fifth one of the day, a welcome sound came from down stairs.

"Usagi!" called Ikuko. "Dinner will be ready soon!"

Perking up immediately, the elder Tsukino child jumped off her bed, and ignoring Luna, she raced downstairs, the smell of her mother's yakisoba, miso soup, and sakanayaki spurring the blonde teen on. As she reached the kitchen, Usagi could see that her mother hadn't served the meal yet, and she sat down on the couch where her father, Tsukino Kenji, was watching the news.

"How's the studying coming," Kenji asked in a pleasant tone.

Usagi, brought down once again at the mention of studying, replied, "It's going alright, Tousan. I'm just tired."

"Well, you do need to get a good mark on that exam tomorrow," soothed her father, "but I'm very proud of you, honey. You did study all day, and I think that shows that you're growing up."

Usagi flashed her father a brilliant smile as he turned his attention back to the television; it was nice to receive praise, especially on something about which she heard so few good things. A happier Tsukino daughter turned her attention to what the news anchor was saying.

"In other news," said the anchorman. "The latest nation-wide exam results for second year Junior High students are in, and once again, Mizuno Ami is the top scorer."

The anchor continued to speak, but his image was replaced by a picture of a cute, raven-haired girl shyly looking at the camera, an embarrassed smile on her lips. Usagi felt something curious at seeing the girl, but she couldn't quite place it. A moment later, her thoughts were interrupted as Ikuko called the family to dinner, this time served in full.

"C'mon, Luna," Usagi said to the cat sitting next to her, and she got up. It wasn't until the blonde teen reached the table that she noticed that the little black guardian wasn't with her: Luna was still staring at the picture on the news, a very puzzled look on her face.

"Earth to Luna," called Usagi, finally breaking her cat out of what ever trance she was in. "Let's eat."

Luna joined them in the kitchen to eat the fish Ikuko put in a small bowl near the table, but Usagi could swear that the lunar guardian was completely lost in thought as she ate.

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Chinese food for dinner had been good for a change, and Ranma left Akane's apartment just after dinner. Bidding goodbye to Akane and her creepy, quiet sister, Ranma headed for his apartment.

Upon arrival at the apartment, Ranma noticed that Nephrite was relaxing on the couch, watching a television that had not been there that morning. Since the dark general was silent, the pigtailed negawarrior dropped into his favorite chair and watched the program, something called 'Takaishi's Castle' where the contestants, or perhaps torture volunteers, went through all manner of obstacle courses for what ever prize was offered by the hosts, two men dressed like gaudy daimyo from the Tokugawa shogunate.

After another forty five minutes of watching, the program ended, and Nephrite turned off the television with the remote and sat up. "Well, that was interesting," he commented to Ranma. "Is that the normal entertainment for Terra these days?"

"Don't ask me," Ranma replied, dubious about the program himself. "You know I've been on the road for the past ten years. I haven't watched TV in at least two years…at least, other than in passing."

Shrugging, the dark general asked about Ranma's day, mentioning first that a friend of his had stopped by that morning. "You should really ask your friends to be a little less insistent that someone come to the door when they knock," said Nephrite as he finished telling his pigtailed student about his encounter with Akane.

Ranma winced at the story, saying, "Yeap, that's Akane alright."

After that, Ranma told Nephrite about his encounter with the daemon that morning and Sailor Moon's subsequent appearance. The dark general listened silently and attentively to the story, commenting at the end.

"I guess it's understandable that a daemon would have broken through here," said the elder negawarrior. "The reason Tokyo is vulnerable to that kind of attack is the same reason Jadeite chose it for his harvesting operation. The city is sitting on perhaps the biggest nexus of mystical energy on Terra. Considering that we might be facing the odd daemon or magic-user around here, I think it's time we step up your training a notch or two."

Ranma smiled at this, but as Nephrite began the night's lessons, the pigtailed negawarrior began to understand what his sensei meant. Ranma didn't expect to sleep much for the next several days…maybe weeks.

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As Usagi arrived at school the next morning, she noticed a knot of students slowly moving toward the front entrance, obviously crowding around someone and asking questions. Intrigued by this event, the blonde sometime Senshi looked around, trying to spot the face of the one person she knew could tell her what was going on, and spotting the bespectacled boy, she trotted over.

"Umino-kun," she greeted, directly behind the boy. The information dealer in question, obviously surprised by her approach, jumped.

"Usagi-san," replied Umino after he regained his bearings. "Please don't surprise me like that."

Giggling, Usagi replied, "Sorry, Umino-kun." Without further ado, she asked, "Do you know what's going on?"

As usual, Umino immediately became business-like for his ostensible occupation. "There's a new student in school today: Mizuno Ami."

The name sounding familiar, Usagi wracked her brain for where she'd heard it before. Her nerdish friend, however, did not give the blonde teen time to think of it before continuing. "I'm sure you've heard of her before; she's the top scorer for our age group. She's a genius!"

Remembering then, Usagi thanked her friend and headed into school, later discovering that the raven-haired girl was also in her class. Usagi, then having to go for her make up exam, left the class room, but she resolved to try to make friends with the shy new girl at lunch.

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It had been a long night, and even with the rejuvenation construct and an hour of sleep, Ranma was still tired as he met up with Akane and Unazuki before school. Still, the night had been rewarding, and the pigtailed negawarrior bet he was twice as fast at forming some of the more complex battle constructs now. Nephrite had complimented him on how fast he could raise his shields, and the simpler attack constructs were coming effortlessly. Now, Nephrite was even introducing him to a simple teleportation construct, and while it wouldn't transport him more than, perhaps, fifty meters, he couldn't wait to finish learning it.

The two girls were chatting animatedly, but Unazuki obviously realized he hadn't been speaking because the redhead said, "Ranma, you look exhausted this morning. Didn't sleep well?"

The pigtailed negawarrior smiled at his friend reassuringly, replying, "Yeah, but I'll be alright."

Unazuki smiled back, and with that simple gesture, she made Ranma feel better. Honestly, the pigtailed boy wondered how she could have such an effect on him with just a smile, but his musings were cut off by a growl from Akane. Glancing over, he was surprised to see her holding a rose, and for the briefest of instants, he wondered if Sailor Moon's ally was around somewhere. Then, he followed Akane's glare to what had offended her.

Ranma was surprised that they were already to school, and the focus of Akane's ire was standing in the school gates. The boy was taller than the pigtailed boy with short brown hair, and he was dressed in a kendoka's hakama, the bokken in his hand finishing the look.

"Tendo Akane," the boy intoned formally, and Ranma could swear that he could hear an edge of obsession or general madness as he spoke. "I have found you at last."

Glancing back at his raven-haired friend, Ranma took an instinctive step back. Never before had the pigtailed teen seen his friend generate such a large battle aura.

"Kuno," Akane grated out, her fist clenching and crushing the rose.

Raising an eyebrow, Ranma looked back at the kendoka, remembering Akane's story about the boy, and as Kuno began some sort of flowery speech, the pigtailed boy took another step away from Akane as her battle aura was growing by the second. If this was really the person who had made the Tendo heir's life such a living hell, Ranma was expecting some fireworks in the very near future, and he was not disappointed.

Akane raced forward with more speed than he had ever seen from the female martial artist, and Ranma doubted that anyone else in the campus could even follow her movements. A bare two seconds after she moved, Akane had covered the forty meters between Ranma's group and the kendoka, burying her fist in the unfortunate boy's stomach.

The beating that followed was savage, vicious, and no more than what Kuno deserved if half the stories he'd heard about the kendoka were true. In the end, Akane launched the brown-haired boy into the sky with a powerful kick, ending the 'match' in approximately thirty seconds. Ranma jogged up to Akane, her chest heaving from exertion.

"Nice job, Akane," he told her, smiling and hoping that she would calm down. "Though we should probably get to class now."

Nodding, though still quite angry, Akane entered the school building with Ranma and Unazuki.

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Knowing that Kuno had found out that her sister was going to Juuban High now, Nabiki stood in the Furinkan High school yard facing southeast toward Minato ward. Considering the timing and Akane's excellent aim when beating perverts, Kuno should be arriving in five...four...three...

Almost on cue, a black dot in the sky resolved itself into an unconscious kendoka, and right after Nabiki mentally counted 'zero', Kuno landed in the Furinkan yard, skidding across the ground to slam into the school building. Nabiki shook her head, walking over to the unconscious boy and grabbing his arm.

"When will you learn, Kuno-chan?" she asked rhetorically as she dragged his unconscious form to the nurse's office.

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Usagi was mentally exhausted when lunch rolled around, and she was none too confident in her performance on the make-up exam. Walking outside and opening her bento, she proceeded to drown her troubles by rapidly consuming the home-cooked meal. Five minutes later, a happier blonde remembered that she wanted to try to get to know the new girl, and she set about searching Ami out.

It took her nearly fifteen minutes to find the raven-haired girl, a considerable amount of time when lunch was only forty minutes long, and the shy new student was eating alone, avoiding her admiring crowds by eating behind a remote tree. The blonde teen was about to go introduce herself when a black blur dropped onto Ami's shoulder, surprising her.

"Hello there," said Mizuno in a soft, soprano voice. "And what are you doing here?"

It took Usagi a moment to realize that the slightly shorter girl was not talking to her, and after observing the scene for a moment, the blonde realized that the black blur was Luna, whom Ami was now petting.

Deciding that this was a good opportunity to introduce herself, Usagi walked over to the other girl. "Hi," she said cheerfully. "I'm Tsukino Usagi, and that's my cat, Luna."

Ami looked up from where she was petting the black cat, replying shyly, "Oh, hello. My name is Mizuno Ami. Pleased to meet you, Tsukino-san. This is your cat?"

Usagi winced at the formality. "Just Usagi, please, Mizuno-san. Yes, that's Luna, though I don't know how she got here."

Unfortunately, the bell signaling the end of lunch prevented further discussion, and Ami, after saying good bye to the blonde and her cat, walked back toward the school building. Usagi almost followed when Luna managed to get her attention.

"Usagi," said the small lunar guardian in a whispered voice. "There's something very strange about that girl's aura. I think she might be a youma."

Staring after the departing girl, Usagi knew that Luna was wrong, the feeling coming from deep in her heart.

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After school, Usagi caught up with Ami as she was leaving, the blonde more cheerful than she had been since becoming Sailor Moon. Something about the raven-haired girl drew the sometime superhero to Ami, and Usagi felt a very urgent need to become friends with her.

"Hi, Ami-chan," greeted Usagi, wincing immediately at her familiar tone. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward."

Ami smiled at the rabbit girl, replying, "That's okay, but only if I can call you Usagi-chan."

Smiling brightly, Usagi answered, "Of course you can call me that! So, what are you doing now, Ami-chan?"

"Well," the shorter girl replied, "I have about two hours until juku, so I was just going to go home and study for a while."

It surprised Usagi a bit that Ami was in juku, a voluntary cram school held after normal school hours, but it wasn't that unusual. Umino went to one as well. "Oh come on, Ami-chan," said the bubbly blonde. "Let's go to the arcade and play some games before you go to juku!"

Ami looked at her dubiously. "I don't know, Usagi-chan," she answered shyly. "I'm only two chapters ahead in history, and I really want to get started with that calculus book I'm borrowing from the library."

Looking at her new friend askance, Usagi cried, "Two chapters ahead?! Calculus?!! C'mon, Ami-chan. It certainly won't hurt you to spend a couple hours of one afternoon at the arcade having fun."

Ami started to protest that calculus was fun, but Usagi's expression must have stopped her cold. After a few more seconds, she acquiesced to her new friend's demands, and Usagi snagged her arm and half-led, half-dragged the genius girl to the Crown Game Center.

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Ranma, Unazuki, and Akane made their way to the Crown Center after school let out, the raven-haired component of their trio having long since calmed down from her encounter with Kuno that morning. Unazuki, unfortunately, had to work that afternoon, so the other two were escorting her to the Parlor and planned to hang out and keep her company when the restaurant was slow. The redhead, for her part, was very happy that they would be there.

As they approached the combination arcade and restaurant, Motoki wave to his sister from where he was sweeping out front. While the Parlor was open for breakfast, the arcade portion of the Crown Center, where Motoki worked, did not open until the afternoons on school days, so the elder Furuhata was just getting ready to open.

"Hi imouto-chan," the blonde man greeted his sister. "How are you today, Ranma-kun, Akane-san?"

"I'm doin' alright," answered Ranma, Akane echoing his sentiments. "How 'bout you?"

Motoki smiled at them, saying, "We're just about to open."

"Hey Motoki," came another voice, calling from behind Motoki. "You ready for the physics test tomorrow?"

Approaching at a rapid walk, a black-haired man was coming down the street toward the small group of teens, waving to Motoki. "I'm ready, Mamoru," he said. "What about you?"

"Physics test?" asked Ranma in a puzzled voice.

Unazuki had forgotten that she hadn't introduced her brother's closest friend to them, and so remembering, she said, "That's Chiba Mamoru. He and my brother go to the Azabu Institute of Technology together."

"Hi, Unazuki-chan," said Mamoru, the black-haired man stepping over to greet the girl. "Who're your friends?"

"Hi Mamoru," greeted Unazuki in reply. "This is Saotome Ranma, and this is Tendo Akane." The redhead pointed to each of her friends in turn as she spoke.

"Pleased to meet you, Ranma, Akane," Mamoru replied politely, nodding to each.

Before Unazuki could lead her friends upstairs or Mamoru and Motoki could start chatting, another two girls joined their group. "Hi, Unazuki-chan!" chirped Usagi, leading a somewhat timid girl up to the arcade. "Hi Motoki!"

"Hi Usagi-chan," replied Unazuki, her greeting echoed by everyone in the group, minus the chan in most cases, except Mamoru, who said, "Hello, odongo atama."

Usagi growled at the much taller man, but she didn't reply to the minor insult. "Well, I want you all to meet my new friend: Mizuno Ami."

Presenting the girl, Unazuki took her first good look at Usagi's new friend. She was shorter than the blonde Junior High schooler, with raven-dark hair. Other than her eyes, which were a cerulean blue, and her build, which was very slender, she could have been a younger version of Akane. While Unazuki was making these observations, Usagi continued the introductions, ending with Mamoru.

"...and the annoying guy with black hair is Chiba Mamoru," finished the blonde teen with some distaste, obviously a sentiment shared by Mamoru himself.

"Right, dumpling head," Mamoru shot back before turning to Motoki and talking about their latest class together. Unazuki was relieved that Usagi didn't perpetuate the argument.

Finally, the knot of teens broke up. Mamoru followed Motoki over to the arcade side so the two of them could study on Motoki's breaks, Usagi lead Ami over the Sailor V video game, and Unazuki lead Ranma and Akane up to the Parlor, hearing Usagi complain loudly that Ami was already better than her at the Sailor V game. After getting Ranma and Akane a table near the back and some drinks on the house, Unazuki started her shift while her two friends studied to pass the time.

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They had been studying for about an hour and a half before Ranma felt negaforce being used, and he searched his mind for an excuse to go watch the immanent battle. Akane was just showing him how one particular geometry problem was solved, and there wasn't really anything he could think to say. Then he had an idea.

"Oops," he said, exaggerating his tone. "I totally forgot that Masato asked me to pick something up on the way home from school. I really need to do it."

Ranma knew he didn't lie very well, and Akane's dubious expression confirmed that. "Who's Masato?" she asked.

"My guardian," replied the black-haired boy. "I'll be back, but I have to go by home first."

Akane relented when he said he would be back, and she told him to hurry since they needed to study. The geometry test was the following day, and he wasn't doing well enough in practice to pass it yet.

Getting up from the table, Ranma hurried down from the Parlor and out of the Crown center, following his senses toward the source of the negaforce. Jogging lightly down several streets, the pigtailed negawarrior arrived at a large building several blocks from the Crown Center, the sign naming it Crystal Seminar Prep School.

'What would a youma be doing at a juku?' Ranma thought, bewildered. Nonetheless, he walked into the lobby, still following the dark energy. Just as he passed through the doors, a short girl with dark, blue-black hair nudged past him with a brief "sumimasen" and raced into one of the classrooms. For a brief moment, Ranma thought it had been Akane, but the height had been wrong.

'Ami goes here?' he thought after remembering the girl who'd been with that odongoed blonde at the Crown Center. 'I wish people I knew would quit getting involved in Jadeite's harvesting operations.'

Ranma was so intent on watching the door Ami had passed through, he wasn't looking where he was going. As a result, when his black slippered foot came down on a freshly waxed portion of floor, Ranma fell, sliding into a full mop bucket. When the redhead stood, she had a very disgruntled look on her face. Ranma muttered, "Typical."

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About two minutes after Ami left for juku, Usagi noticed that her friend had left her book bag next to the Sailor V game, and knowing that all her supplies for school and juku were inside, the blonde sometime Senshi picked it up and rushed after her friend. Unfortunately, Usagi realized as she ran outside, she didn't know where Ami's cram school was.

With a silent apology to her friend, Usagi opened Ami's book bag and quickly looked through the contents. At last, she found the raven-haired girl's prep school ID, and the school address was on the back. Luckily, Usagi knew the layout of the streets in Juuban's commercial area, and she set off at a rapid pace toward Ami's juku, carrying the other girl's school bag.

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Just as Ami was ducking into her class, she realized that she had forgotten her school bag at that arcade, and with it, she had forgotten the crystal disk the teacher had explicitly told them they would be using today. Angry with herself for forgetting, the girl looked up, saying, "Sorry I'm la—"

Ami's apology cut off sharply, brought to silence by the sight of the room. The normal rows of computers were there, but the students were all slumped in their seats, unconscious. At the front of the room, the teacher was looking over all the students with a cruel, satisfied expression that frightened and angered the usually timid girl, and then the teacher looked at her.

"It was very bad to be late today," she said, her voice grating and harsh, nothing like normal, and the woman's face contorted into an expression that human anatomy should have made impossible. "But you should join the rest of the class anyway!"

Surprisingly, the woman's arm stretched halfway across the room in an instant, snagging Ami by the neck and pulling her into the classroom. The sound of the door behind her slamming shut was like a death knell to the young genius, especially as the creature's hand, feeling like iron around her throat, began to close like a vice.

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Luna, sensing the dark energy emanating from the prep school, met Usagi at the gate. "Usagi," she whispered to her charge. "Something bad is happening in there! You must transform."

"Oh no!" replied the blonde as she searched for a place where no one would see her. "This is Ami's juku. I hope she's okay."

Luna answered, "I told you that girl was a youma!"

Finding some conveniently remote bushes in the cram school's yard, Usagi ducked into them, and a moment later, Sailor Moon exited, saying, "I know she's not, Luna, and I'm afraid the youma is hurting her."

Shaking her head at her overly-idealistic charge, Luna followed the Moon Senshi into the school, the sense of dark power growing ever stronger. Finally, the blonde Senshi kicked open the door of one particular classroom, and unsurprisingly, there was a youma there. What did surprise Luna was whom it held in its unnaturally long arm: Mizuno Ami. The creature held the raven-haired girl's face close to one of the computer screens, growling about how something wasn't working

Sailor Moon launched into one of her usual corny speeches, but Luna paid no attention to the lunar Senshi, her status spell telling her that something very strange was happening to Mizuno's aura. And that something was about to spike.

Even as Moon leapt into battle, forcing the youma to drop Ami, Luna saw it. A strange, blue mark glowed to life on Ami's forehead, a symbol that resonated within Luna, and the lunar guardian realized why Ami's aura was different. Ami was a Senshi!

Rushing to where the raven-haired girl was coughing on the floor, Luna jumped into the air, performing the same double flip she'd used when she gave Usagi her brooch and pen. At the apex of her acrobatic performance, a blue henshin stick fell from thin air to land before the half-asphyxiated girl, and Luna called out to her. "Ami! You must help Sailor Moon!"

Even in her weakened state, Ami was still obviously incredulous of Luna speaking, and she managed to reply, "Did you just t—talk?"

Noticing that the battle with the youma was going rather badly for Moon and barely repressing a sigh, Luna replied, "There is no time! Take this henshin stick and call out the first thing that comes to mind!"

Thankfully, Ami did not question the moon cat further, and grabbing the pen and painfully making her way to her feet, she raised the henshin wand, calling out, "Mercury Power, Make Up!"

Watching the light show, similar to Usagi's, Luna felt both relieved and saddened. Her relief stemmed from having reinforcements at last, but she was saddened that yet another girl's life would be turned upside down because of the Dark Kingdom's attack. Retreating to a safe distance, Luna watched the newest Senshi rush into battle to aide Sailor Moon.

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As she raised the wand and called out, "Mercury Power, Make Up!" Mizuno Ami felt silly, but if a talking cat, a magical girl, and an inhuman monster weren't indicators that she was dreaming, nothing was. However, thoughts of dreaming only lasted a fraction of a second as power beyond anything she'd imagined surrounded her form, and she moved with the energy, only half conscious of her actions. Ami felt her clothing disintegrate, first of all, and pirouetting naked did make her feel quite self conscious. Thankfully, less than a second later, new clothing materialized on her bare form: a white body suit, a very short blue skirt, elbow-length white gloves with blue trim, and knee-high blue boots with white trim. On the middle of her chest and at the small of her back, bows of sky blue materialized out of the surrounding energy, and as the transformation completed, Sailor Mercury stood there in all her glory.

The power coursing through her body was incredible, and the now blue-haired girl could already tell that her speed and strength would be much greater in this transformed state. In addition, Mercury could feel an almost tangible power in the back of her mind, just waiting to be called forth. However, at that moment, the youma that had originally been trying to choke her had managed to grab Sailor Moon, and even now, it was wrapping its stretchable arms around her in crushing coils.

For some reason quite unknown to the newest Senshi, everything in her being called out for her to protect the blonde-haired girl, and almost before she knew she was moving, the Senshi of Mercury was racing forward to protect her blonde compatriot. Mercury leaped forward in a jump kick from behind the creature, slamming into the back of its head and forcing it to drop Sailor Moon. Then, as she analyzed the monster's tactics, Mercury dodged the whip-like strikes from its rubbery arms, making her way over to where Moon was recovering.

Before checking Moon's condition, Mercury finally gave voice and form to the strange energy she could feel in her mind. Bringing her arms up to cross over her chest and calling out, "Shabon Spray!" Mercury flooded the area with cold mist, impenetrable to vision. In the relative safety of the fog, the new Senshi finally turned to the other magical girl.

"Are you alright, Sailor Moon," asked Sailor Mercury, speaking for the first time in her transformed state other than to cast her attack, and even she was surprised at how much more confident her voice was now that she was in Senshi form.

Blinking her big blue eyes, Sailor Moon looked at her newest ally, saying, "Thanks for saving me, but who are you?"

Smiling at the blonde, the blue Senshi introduced herself. "I'm Sailor Mercury."

Mercury was surprised to be drawn into a sobbing hug by the blonde Senshi. "I'm so glad you're here," Moon babbled. "It's been so terrible fighting alone."

When Mercury finally extricated herself from Moon's embrace, she was not surprised to see tears running down the other superhero's face, and the intellectual Senshi resolved to ask Moon what had happened before her awakening at the earliest opportunity. Which was not now, as a harsh voice reminded her from behind.

"Cute trick with the fog," it rasped. "But I can kill you without seeing you!"

It was then that Mercury saw that her mist was dissipating, but the mystic fog had done its job, and two Senshi stood ready to put the monster in its place.

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Lieutenant Koma faced the two Senshi, much less confident than she appeared. After the horror stories she'd heard about the Moon Senshi, facing two of them seemed like assured death, and Koma definitely didn't want to die. With Moon alone, she was fairly certain she could win, assuming the blonde Senshi's original ally, the tuxedo guy, didn't show up. Facing two Senshi, however, was dangerous beyond compare, and with that possible ally in the wings, Koma was sorely temped to flee. Unfortunately for the youma lieutenant, that wasn't possible. To run away would leave the crystal disks to the enemy, and they couldn't afford to lose the valuable lifeforce stored within each of the crystalline receptacles.

Shoring up her courage, Koma attacked the two Senshi using her whip-like arms to strike from a distance. Mercury and Moon dodged most of the strikes, though both took glancing blows to their blocking forearms when the strikes came too near. As the two Senshi closed, the youma lieutenant felt fear, and she went for a capture on one of Mercury's legs, the attack an effort to delay the enemy. Unfortunately, she missed the grab, and worse, Mercury managed to stomp down on her appendage, immobilizing Koma and causing a sharp pain in the trapped arm.

Futilely attempting to free her arm, Koma lashed ineffectively at the Moon Senshi as she continued to close, but nothing would stop Sailor Moon from reaching her target. Finally, as the blonde Senshi was almost within melee combat range, Koma opened her mouth and fired a bolt of dark energy at the Senshi. The energy blast struck Moon square in the chest, slamming her into the wall, and Koma almost congratulated herself, but a sharp blow to the back of her head, knocking her to the floor, disabused her of any sense of accomplishment.

While she had been preoccupied with Moon, Mercury had pinned her trapped arm under a desk and snuck up from behind. As Koma tried to rise, a double hammer fist to her back forced her to the ground again, and from where she lay, she could already see Moon beginning to rise again. A moment later, Koma's life became pain, and she could only hope that at some point it would stop.

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Moon rose, a bit painfully, from where she'd been blasted into the wall by the youma, and she looked up just in time to see Mercury drive the monster to the ground with a double hammer fist to its back. Rushing to join her fellow Senshi in destroying the youma, Moon attacked with all her strength, landing blow after blow on the monster that would dare to attack her planet.

After Mercury landed a hard kick to the beast's stomach, the Moon Senshi lifted the youma by the neck and landed the most powerful blow she could muster into the center of its chest. Along with the feel and sound of cracked ribs, the youma flew through the air, slamming with crushing force into the far wall. Before it had even slid to the floor, Moon was already reaching for her tiara, calling out its attack phrase.

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Ranma watched as Sailor Moon raced into the same classroom Ami had entered, and although she didn't know the raven-haired girl well, she hoped that Mizuno would be all right, caught in the middle of a war that really had nothing to do with her. The redhead was about to get closer for a better look when a hand landed on her shoulder. Ranma jumped high enough to hit her head on the ceiling, and by the time she came back down in a combat stance, she had already powered a shield construct against physical, construct, and mana attacks.

The woman who had startled the pigtailed negawarrior jumped back; it was her turn to be surprised. Almost reflexively, her arms grew chitinous spines and her eyes turned red, obviously half transforming into her true form. The youma and the negawarrior faced off silently for a moment before the woman stood down, returning to human form.

"You use constructs," said the youma as Ranma slowly calmed, though she didn't drop her shield. "Who are you, and what is your business here?"

"I'm Nephrite's student, Ranma," answered the redhead, following it up with a question of her own. "Are you one of Jadeite's soldiers?"

The woman nodded curtly. "I am Lieutenant Mano. Master Jadeite has mentioned you, and I am under orders to protect you if it becomes necessary."

Ranma scowled at the orders, growling, "I can protect myself." In a calmer tone, the red-haired negawarrior asked, "What's going on here?"

"I cannot tell you the specifics," the youma answered. "It would violate operational security. However, you know our mission on Terra is to acquire lifeforce for the war effort, so you understand that this is a harvesting operation."

A cry of pain coming from the classroom snapped them both out of the conversation, but when they turned to look within, a dense fog shrouded the room, making visibility impossible. Trying futilely to penetrate the dense mist with her blue-grey eyes, Ranma mentioned, "Shouldn't you go help your comrade in there?"

The regretful tone of the youma was obvious when she answered. "I am under explicit orders not to interfere with any battles during the mission here, so Koma...Lieutenant Koma, that is...is on her own."

"Those are pretty rough orders..." replied the pigtailed negawarrior, not unkindly. "Sounds like you really want to help her."

"I do," whispered the youma, her voice barely audible. "She's my sister."

Ranma winced again, knowing that in the majority of the battles she'd seen, Sailor Moon gave no quarter to her enemies. As the fog began to dissipate, however, a sharp gasp from his companion made him look away.

"What?" Ranma asked, her tone reflexively clipped.

The youma was staring into the room in horror, and she murmured, nearly in tears, "There are two of them now. I don't think Koma can deal with both of them."

Looking back into the room, Ranma saw that there were indeed two Senshi facing off against a youma with long, rubber-like arms. Even as they watched, the two Senshi dodged almost all of the youma's whip-like strikes and closed, attacking without mercy. Even when Koma attacked using a negaforce bolt that threw Moon into a wall, Mercury attacked from behind, keeping the youma from gaining the upper hand. The pigtailed girl took a step forward, intent on aiding the outnumbered youma, but an arm across her stomach stopped her. Looking at her companion in disbelief, Ranma saw green tears slowly sliding down her face.

"You cannot go, and I cannot go," the youma managed, her voice cracking as the two Senshi continued the merciless beating. "We must honor her sacrifice for the greater good of the Kingdom and await the time when vengeance is possible." That last bit was said with a deep, burning hatred.

Even as Ranma turned back to the door, resolving to force her way past the youma if necessary, the pigtailed girl saw that it was too late. With a cry of "Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon's final attack ripped into the youma, and with a final cry of agony, Lieutenant Koma disintegrated into a fine grey dust.

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Moon and Mercury followed Luna away from the prep school after calling the police to deal with the drained students, and Moon was the happiest she'd been since becoming Sailor Moon. Another Senshi had finally appeared, and together with Mercury, the side of good had won another battle! Even better, this time no one on their side had been seriously hurt, and none of the people they were trying to protect had been kidnapped! She was so very happy.

Making their way to a nearby park, Moon and Mercury stepped into the bushes to detransform, and a moment later, Usagi and Ami walked out, each surprised by the other's identity.

"I knew there was something special about you ever since lunch, Ami," gushed Usagi, hugging the raven-haired girl tightly. "I'm so happy you're here!"

In a rare display of emotion, Ami hugged Usagi back with equal fervor. "I felt there was something special about you, too, especially after you made such an effort to make friends with me."

After nearly five minutes, the two girls finally parted, and Luna said, "I'm glad you're with us, too, Ami. Things were getting bad for Usagi while she was alone."

"Well," replied the youngest Mizuno without any of her normal shyness, "you can count on me. But I need to know what's happened so far. What was that thing we were fighting? So many questions.…"

Sitting down, the two sometime Senshi and the guardian cat began to discuss the situation.

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Ranma walked back to the Crown Center with a sick feeling in his stomach and a great deal of sympathy for the youma he'd left behind at the prep school, stopping only once to get some hot water. Still, he admired the Lieutenant's discipline; to be able to watch as your own sibling was killed in a horrible manner, due to orders, took more loyalty than Ranma had thought possible. It was easy to race to the rescue, comparatively.

Arriving at the Crown, Ranma went back up to the parlor, sitting across from Akane. "Did you finish your errand?" asked the raven-haired Tendo as he sat down.

Ranma nodded, wordlessly returning to studying. If Akane noticed his somber mood, she didn't mention it, and it wasn't long before Unazuki walked over. "It's about time for my dinner break, guys," she said cheerfully. "What do you two want?"

Ranma ordered his usual, a triple cheeseburger plate with a chocolate shake, while Akane asked for a chicken caesar salad and root beer. Nodding to them both, Unazuki went to the kitchen while Ranma and Akane cleared the table of studying materials. A few minutes later, Unazuki returned with their drinks and a vanilla shake for herself, saying, "The food'll be ready in a few minutes."

The three of them were silent as they enjoyed their drinks, Unazuki choosing to sit next to Ranma. Eventually, the redhead broke the silence. "Geez, you guys are quiet. Is studying that bad?"

Akane chuckled, replying, "No, but Ranma had to go do some errands for his guardian, so I was studying by myself for a while."

Unazuki nodded in understanding, and then asked, "Did you take care of everything? Why so glum, Ranma?"

Trying to mask his mood, the pigtailed negawarrior smiled at his friend. "It's nothing; I'm just not looking forward to the geometry test tomorrow."

Either Unazuki missed his continued unhappiness or she chose to ignore it, replying, "I know what you mean. I'm not looking forward to that history test coming up on Thursday."

Brightening, Ranma said, "History? That's one subject I'm not worried about. If you want, we can study for it together."

Unazuki smiled, and the Saotome heir wondered once again how she managed to make him feel better with just a look. "Thanks," she replied. "History is probably my worst subject."

Ranma was about to reply when Unazuki's mother arrived with their food. "Thanks, Mom," Unazuki chirped, and after the other two expressed their gratitude to the elder Furuhata woman, they dug into their meals.

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Lieutenant Mano watched as Ranma left the prep school, her face a mask of sorrow, pain, and anger. However, duty called, and the second youma lieutenant assigned to the crystal disk operation walked into the room where her sister had met death. Due to their self-contained nature, the crystal disks had to be retrieved or the entire operation was a failure. If the operation was a failure, Koma had died for nothing.

Mano had collected the last of the crystal disks just before the sirens sounded outside, and using her sorcerous ability to teleport, a rare talent in a youma, Mano arrived in the eastern harvesting station in Juuban with her cargo of crystals.

A youma corporal assigned to care for the facility greeted Mano as she arrived, tired and forlorn. "Is Master Jadeite here?" she asked the corporal, not caring if her voice was harsh. "I need to report."

"No, Lieutenant," answered Corporal Urya, "but I can get you a communication crystal if you need to call him."

Slumping to the floor, though careful not to damage her precious cargo, Mano answered, "Please."

Hurrying away to fulfill her request, Urya looked like a small bird that was chasing a particularly nimble worm, and with the other youma's red and pink feathers, small beak, and large black eyes, the comparison seemed to fit. A few moments later, the youma corporal returned bearing the small black crystal Mano requested. The lieutenant quickly checked the crystal to make sure it was keyed to Jadeite, and then she activated its power.

'This is Jadeite,' came the words in her mind. 'Report.'

'This is Lieutenant Mano, Master Jadeite,' she answered telepathically through the crystal's power. 'I am at Juuban East, and the mission is over. I have the crystal disks.'

Blinking in surprise, Mano felt the crystal's connection suddenly vanish, but before she could consider the meaning of the loss, a flash of dark power heralded Jadeite's arrival at the harvesting station. Immediately, the blonde negawarrior walked over to the slumped youma.

"What do you mean, 'the mission is over'?" he asked, seeming quite irritated. "We only started that operation yesterday!"

Almost hesitant to answer, Mano reluctantly answered, "Sailor Moon found the operation, and...and she had help. She and a Sailor Mercury killed Lieutenant Koma."

Mano wanted to say more, but her voice failed her. Jadeite was her idol, that being the reason she had joined the army under his command, and now, on top of losing her sister, she was disappointing her personal hero. Today, she couldn't win for losing.

Jadeite, for his part, looked to be experiencing equal parts disbelief, sorrow, and fear, and the youma lieutenant could well understand why. A second Senshi had easily doubled their problems, if not increased them even more. Other than the retrieval of the crystal disks, Mano brought nothing but bad news.

"Are you alright?" asked a suddenly kneeling Jadeite, surprising the youma lieutenant out of her bout of depression. "Were you injured?"

"No, Master Jadeite," she replied. "I stayed out of the fighting, as ordered."

Looking at her with sympathy, Jadeite said, "Go get some rest. We'll get our revenge on the Senshi soon."

The dark general's words brought some life back to Mano, and she stood, saluting him with fist over heart, before heading for the harvesting station's barracks, dreams of vengeance upon the Senshi that would murder her sister awaiting her in its bunks.

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Jadeite watched Lieutenant Mano walk away, anger boiling in his heart. Even when the plan wasn't to trap Sailor Moon, she seemed to stumble upon his operations. It had cost him a valuable tactician, and the youma's loss might send her sister over the edge. All in all, not what Jadeite would consider a particularly successful operation.

Picking up the padded case that contained the crystal disks, Jadeite handed them to Corporal Urya. "Make sure to drain these into the storage crystals, Corporal," he ordered.

"Yes sir," replied the youma corporal, taking the case from the dark general and leaving to drain them of their bounty of lifeforce. In the mean time, Jadeite teleported away to his R&D section.

As the dark general arrived back in Dark Moon, Dr. Merul and his lab assistant were waiting for him. Without preamble, Jadeite said, "The crystal disk operation is over. Sailor Moon found it too soon."

Far from being unhappy, Dr. Merul replied, "We didn't expect it to be very successful, but you knew that, didn't you Jadeite?"

The blonde negawarrior almost growled at the venerable negalyte before cooling a bit. "It cost me the life of an experienced lieutenant, and the lifeforce we gathered will not be near enough to satisfy the Queen if she asks me why I had two more youma transported to Terra."

The unflappable Merul's smile never faltered, and he said, "Well then, here's something to cheer you up. Project Waveforce is ready for execution."

For a moment, Jadeite's eyes widened, and then, a smile came to his face. "That is great news, Doctor! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, Jumako came up with a way to augment the tape's effect," explained Merul. "Let me show you."

On the table between them, Merul set three clocks of varying design. One was an alarm clock, one was an old fashioned coo coo clock, and the third was an elegant pendulum-driven clock. "Since Waveforce will drain lifeforce from everyone that listens, the best way to get even more is to cause the subjects to generate additional energy. There is a temporal construct embedded in each of these clocks that will speed up the human metabolism, causing, among other things, increased energy production."

Smirking at this development, Jadeite turned back to Merul. "You always did know how to cheer me up, doc."

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After bidding Unazuki good night, Akane and Ranma made their way back to their apartment building, an odd silence resting between them as they walked. Normally they would banter back and forth or at least chat amiably, but Ranma was in a solemn mood, and Akane felt that it would be wrong to break it. Something sad had happened, that was clear from his countanence, and the raven-haired Tendo didn't think there was anything she could say to lighten her pigtailed friend's present, unhappy frame of mind.

They were just entering the apartment building when a man she recognized as Umishi Ichiro approached, obviously on his way home after a long day. "Ah, hello Tendo-san, Saotome-san," he greeted politely. "How are you two doing?"

"I'm fine, Umishi-san," answered Akane, and Ranma echoed her a half second later. "How are you?"

"Fine, fine," Umishi replied. "Oh, Saotome-san. How are your guardian and sister settling in?"

For a moment, Ranma seemed puzzled by Umishi's question, but Akane couldn't understand how someone could possibly be confused by such a question. Even as her pigtailed friend's expression cleared and he told Umishi that both were doing well, Akane realized that Ranma had never mentioned a sister. Strange, indeed.

A moment later, Umishi bid the two goodnight and left the building, but Akane wasn't going to let Ranma off that easily. "Hey Ranma," she said, sounding annoyed even to herself. "How come you never mentioned a sister to me?!"

"Huh?" asked Ranma, obviously startled, and Akane pressed her advantage.

"Yeah," she continued, "Umishi-san just asked after your sister, and you said she was doing fine! You only told Unazuki and me that you lived with your guardian!"

Ranma really looked like a deer in headlights now, and Akane went for the kill, backing the pigtailed boy against the wall. "Well? Are you going to tell me about her?!"

Sighing in defeat, Ranma explained. "Ranko and I live together, and she was along on the training trip, but we honestly don't spend much time together during the day. We go to different schools, have different friends, and we don't really talk until night. It's Oyaji's fault. He always tried to keep us separated when we were kids, and we could only talk at night. I guess we're close, but we feel weird about hanging around each other during the day."

The story sounded a bit suspicious, but considering Ranma's upbringing, Akane could accept it. Ranma's father was crazy enough to do it, considering some of the other things the pigtailed boy told her. "So what does she look like?" she asked, still pressing for a bit more information; the Nabiki in her, she supposed.

"Well, her most distinguishing feature is her hair; it's bright red," Ranma replied, closing his eyes as though to visualize his sister. "Ranko has blue eyes just like mine, but she's quite a bit shorter. She likes clothes similar to mine, and she's almost as good at the Art as me."

Ranma racked off a few more items of interest regarding his sister before Akane let him off the hook, and once they went their separate ways, Akane resolved that she would one day meet Ranma's sister. She must be a great martial artist; for Ranma to place someone even close to his level of skill was quite a compliment. From his description, they would get along great.

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For the sixth time, Jadeite sat down at the microphone at InterFM, about to begin yet another installment of the ever more popular Midnight Zero. The fan mail continued to pour in, and though he had to teleport two more youma to help run the operation since Sailor Moon had killed two of the originals, the energy from the corsages and the promise of the rewards from Project Waveforce kept Beryl from being overcritical of his pet project.

Glancing over the letter chosen for that night, Jadeite was satisfied that it was sufficiently alluring to the teenage crowd. It was from a girl recently hurt in an accident, and she addressed the letter to a boy who did not even know she had feelings for him. Someone named Motoki.

Smiling, Jadeite signaled his youma to turn on his microphone, and he leaned over to begin yet another broadcast. "This is Jay Daitou, and you are listening to Midnight Zero. Tonight a young woman named Naru writes to her love, Motoki….

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Author's Notes:

Another chapter done, and the muse seems to be with me as I only finished the last one about a week ago. Then again, this is what being out of work does. Lots of time to write and all that. However, this was only half of the content I'd originally slated for Part 5, so Chapter 3 has grown by yet another two parts. Yeah, I know it seems like one step forward and two steps back, but bear with me. I just don't want my parts to go too much over 20,000 words. It makes them ungainly and unfocused, and besides, I can update more quickly this way. : )

As usual, I'd like to thank my prereaders (Malichite, Dark Jackel, and Phoenix) for their excellent advice, innovative ideas, and diligent proofreading. Next time, Chapter 3 Part 6: The Quickening Tempo of Combat! See you then.


	14. Chapter 3 E6 Quick Tempo P1

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

I know you all salivate over the amazingly witty thoughts I normally choose to place here, but let's just leave out such humorous disclaimers this time, shall we?

Author's Note: Along with this new update, I've revised all previous chapters, so I would suggest anyone who reads this new section go back and reread all previous chapters. Most of the revisions are minor, but there are a few major ones. Thanks.

Chapter Three: Dreaming in Moonlight

Episode Six: The Quickening Tempo of Combat (Part 1)

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'This store is small and quaint,' thought Jadeite, 'it's the perfect place to apply Dr. Merul's plan.'

The store was just that: a low wooden building with an open-air counter in front, just right to project that "mom and pop operation" feel so many people on Terra seemed to enjoy in the present. Behind the blonde negawarrior, two youma in human form were unloading the inventory for Jadeite's impromptu store: dozens of clocks of every shape and size. Of course, imbedded in each timepiece was a small construct that would cause a minor temporal distortion, enhancing the metabolic rate of any human within about ten meters—all the better to maximize the potential of Project Waveforce. Just thinking of the first execution of his pet project, scheduled for tonight's edition of Midnight Zero, made Jadeite smile.

One of the youma, a Captain and temporal specialist named Shima, walked out of the storefront, and after saluting, she asked, "Master Jadeite, when should we power the compel constructs?"

Jadeite looked up at the pre-dawn sky, just barely lightening in the east. After a moment's consideration, he said, "Wait an hour, when the morning rush is just beginning. And keep the power level low; we don't want any complications."

By complications, Jadeite was referring to the Senshi, and the wary look in Shima's eyes told him that she understood him perfectly. Saluting again, the temporal specialist returned to the store to assist in setting up the displays. Jadeite surveyed the preparations for a moment more before smiling, satisfied that everything was running smoothly. Nodding once to himself, the blonde general teleported to his quarters in the Dark Palace to continue his own preparations.

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Tsukino Ikuko was meandering from store to store on her way home from the market while humming a lively tune, her purchases in a cloth bag at her side. She had already finished her errands for the day, and it was only ten-thirty in the morning. Now, she was engaged in her favorite pass-time: shopping in antique and miscellania stores. 'You never know if the next store will have a real treasure,' she thought, smiling happily.

Ducking into the next store, she greeted the proprietor, Utada-san, warmly, and she received an equally warm reply. She was such a frequent customer that most of the antique dealers in the area knew her by name, and that allowed her a level of personalized service she rarely got elsewhere. Browsing through racks of oriental carpets, vases of every conceivable size and shape, and various other antiques, she picked up a small lacquered box on impulse and purchased it. After saying goodbye to the owner, she left with her newest acquisition.

Continuing on her way, she felt a strange urge to divert from her normal route, and after turning left, the blue-haired woman was delighted to find a brand new store, this one apparently specializing in clocks. Stepping up to the counter, Ikuko began to browse the selection, almost salivating at the merchandise.

"Good morning." The Tsukino matriarch jumped slightly, so intent was she on the various clocks. Looking up from the timepieces, she saw a smiling clerk dressed in a light blouse and slacks combination with a white apron over it. "Sorry if I startled you," the clerk continued in a light alto voice. "Can I help you with anything?"

Smiling back at the woman, Ikuko asked, "Do you have any antique European clocks?"

Putting a finger to her chin as she thought, the clerk said, "I believe so. Just a moment, and I'll get them."

The clerk walked away, but she returned a few moments later with a tray laden with four clocks. Ikuko's eyes lit up; she had always wanted to get an old Swiss coo coo clock, and there in the center was exactly what she had wanted. In addition to that, there was a dark-stained, wooden pendulum clock, and to top it off, two silver-plated pocket watches that she knew her husband would love.

"I'll take them all," she said excitedly, somewhat surprised at her own eagerness. She didn't usually buy things so quickly, especially without knowing the price, but something told her that it didn't matter.

The clerk smiled brightly, telling her the total price for the clocks, a number that was surprisingly low, and after Ikuko paid her, the clerk carefully loaded the clocks into an empty box and said, "Please enjoy your purchases."

Ikuko picked up the box containing her new timepieces, replying, "I'm sure I will." It seemed that just being near the clocks put a spring in her step, and she smiled at nothing in particular as she felt a new energy filling her. Since her hands were now full, the blue-haired woman decided to head home, thoughts of where she was going to display the coo coo clock consuming her mind the whole way.

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For the first time ever, Ami was spaced out in school. The events of the previous day just would not wait for the end of class, and her keen mind kept on going over every detail. 'Honestly,' she thought, 'I aught to be going through a nervous breakdown. Between talking cats, monsters out to conquer the world, and me being a magical girl, I can't believe I'm this calm.'

When the bell signaling the end of school for the day rang, the raven-haired teen started, surprised that she had managed to miss the rest of the lesson. It wasn't as though she wasn't ahead in her classes, but it was definitely out of character for the young genius. She would have continued her musings despite the end of the school day, but a bubbly blonde sat down in front of her, cutting off her thoughts.

"Hey Ami-chan!" Usagi said with more exuberance than Ami had previously thought possible. "Want to go down to the Crown arcade?"

"Umm," Ami replied, a bit overwhelmed by her overly happy friend. "Weren't we supposed to meet up with Luna after school today."

"Aww," groused Usagi, though it was obviously faked. "You're no fun."

"Come on, Usagi-chan," Ami said, smiling indulgently. "After we talk to Luna, we can go get some ice cream or something."

Ami resolved never to talk about ice cream around Usagi ever again, now noting the reaction. The blonde teen's blue eyes opened wide, sparkling with excitement, and she grabbed the raven-haired girl's arm and practically dragged her out of the school.

Ami managed to extract her arm from the odangoed girl's grasp once they reached the gates of the school, and the two girls chatted amiably as they rapidly walked to Usagi's home. Upon arriving, the blonde's mother greeted them with a tray of cookies and a warm welcome.

"Hello, dear," said Ikuko, her tone energetic. "Who is your new friend?"

"Hi Mom," answered Usagi. "This is Ami-chan. Ami-chan, this is my Mom."

Bowing politely, Ami greeted the elder Tsukino. The normally shy girl could almost feel the energy coming from Ikuko, and it seemed that it was infectious. Ami was practically vibrating with the need to do…something, anything.

After the two girls had sat down in the living room, happily munching the cookies Usagi's mother had baked, Ami asked, "Shouldn't we go find Luna soon?"

Before the blonde could reply, the cat herself came down the stairs, and motioning for them to follow, the black lunar guardian led the duo to a nearby park. Once there, she turned and said, "It's good to see you girls. Ami, I have something for you."

Without waiting for either girl to reply, Luna performed her double-flip maneuver, and at the apex of her acrobatics, an aquamarine rectangle about the size of Ami's hand fell to the leaf-covered ground. The raven-haired teen kneeled down gracefully and picked up the object, examining it briefly as though it were some arcane artifact. 'Scratch that,' Ami thought ruefully. 'Knowing Luna, it is some arcane artifact.'

The object, surprisingly heavy for its small size, was about fifteen centimeters by six centimeters and only about half a centimeter thick, and on one of its faces was a familiar symbol. It took Ami a moment, but she finally remembered where she had seen that symbol before. Producing her henshin pen, she compared the symbols, and the two glyphs were a perfect match. The dark-haired girl was about to ask about the correlation when Luna preempted her question.

"It's the Silver Millennium symbol for Mercury, Ami," the small black cat said, "and that is the master terminal for the Mercury Computer."

Ami's eyes lit up at the prospect of tinkering with a new piece of technology, and she quickly discovered the clasp on the hand-held computer and opened it, marveling at the small screen and keyboard within. Almost by instinct, the teenage genius began typing, pulling up information on the specifications of the computer. Those specs left the sometime Senshi of Mercury breathless and lightheaded, and she stared at Luna in wide-eyed amazement. "It processes at seven hundred exohertz?!"

"I knew you would like it," replied Luna in a satisfied tone, even managing to affect a smile, no mean trick on a cat's face.

Without another thought, Ami began exploring the capabilities of her new toy, and for the next fifteen minutes, nothing short of a youma attack could have snapped her out of her technology-induced trance. Finally, she noticed the silence in the grove and looked up, almost laughing at the strange look on her ponytailed friend's face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, perplexed at the blonde's dazed expression.

Usagi shook her head, banishing the look, and replied, "Nothing, nothing!"

Ami shrugged it off, and before she could speak again, Luna said, "Now Ami, I've been giving Usagi a primer on magic and mana manipulation, but we haven't gotten very far. I should probably bring you up to speed, so pay attention."

At being offered yet another chance to learn something new, the raven-haired girl was immediately all ears, staring with rapt attention at the black advisor.

"Both of you command formidable magic," began the moon cat, "and this magic comes from what is called a mana-bind. Usagi is bound to Earth's moon, and you, Ami, are bound to the planet Mercury. I am also mana-bound to the Moon, but my bind is miniscule compared to a Senshi's, so I'm limited to the weakest of spells. Mana is actually produced by celestial bodies, and you can draw it as needed since you are bound to those bodies."

Luna paused for a moment, but Ami didn't have any questions at that point, so she continued. "Mana itself is something of a mystery, and it was so even in the Silver Millennium. However, although we don't entirely understand it, mana is still a powerful energy source, and you both use it when you transform.

"The Senshi transformation and your standard attacks are actually prefabricated spells that use the mana from your respective planets as a power source. However, you can learn to manipulate that mana without these automatic forms. Ami, would you call up the files on the specialties of each Senshi?"

Ami complied immediately, typing rapidly on her computer. A moment later, she looked confused, and said, "Luna, only my specialties, as Mercury, are accessible. What happened to the rest of the data?"

Luna jumped onto Ami's shoulder and peered at the screen, equally confused. After a few moments of consideration, however, she performed a feline's equivalent of a shrug. "The Mercury Computer suffered a great deal of damage when the Silver Millennium fell, so I can only assume that the missing data was destroyed in that battle."

Nodding in understanding, given Luna's brief explanation the previous afternoon, Ami turned back to the information available to her. "According to this, my greatest affinity is temperature."

Luna, still on her shoulder, nodded. "That means that the easiest method of using the mana available to you is altering temperatures. Cooling matter is most likely easier than warming it, since that is the natural result of thermodynamics."

Eyes alight with understanding, the teen replied, "I see, so my Shabon Spray is actually a manipulation of the temperature of the air, causing it to release water vapor in a fog via cooling."

"Precisely," answered Luna in a satisfied tone. "But beyond the preprogrammed spells that your Senshi form provides, you can learn to use the mana at your disposal for other purposes, and the easiest manipulations are in accord with your magical affinity."

"Now," the black lunar guardian continued, "lets get down to the mechanics of how to control—"

Luna cut off, and leaping from Ami's shoulder to Usagi's, she began to berate the girl for spacing out during a magic lesson. Ami just sweatdropped as the sometime Moon Senshi and her cat began arguing, but she quickly tuned it out in favor of exploring the capabilities of her new computer. Life always had new and interesting things to discover, and Ami wouldn't have it any other way.

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Ranma, Unazuki, and Akane were heading towards the Crown center after school, the pigtailed boy walking along the top of the fence while his female companions followed on the sidewalk. In no particular hurry, the three teens chatted amiably and took their time. Unfortunately, Unazuki had to work that afternoon, and the three of them were trying to make the most of the afternoon before they had to part company with the redhead.

They were about three blocks from the Crown center when Ranma sensed the negaforce, and in addition to the feeling, he recognized an artificial compulsion to head in the direction of the active constructs. Even as he realized this, his two friends were turning toward the source. The black-haired negawarrior, in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the talent show incident, jumped off of the fence in front of his friends, barring their way.

"What's up, Ranma?" asked Unazuki, her tone confused.

"I think we should go ahead and get to the Crown Parlor," he replied, though he instantly regretted it. Saotome foot-in-mouth syndrome had struck again.

Narrowing her eyes, the redhead said, "What? Do you want to get rid of me?"

His eyes widening at her cross tone, Ranma stammered back, "No no no. I just really want a shake, that's all."

Thankfully, Unazuki was easy to placate, and she smiled at him. "Oh, alright, lets go then."

Ranma mentally wiped the sweat from his brow, thankful that his friend accepted his answer. Also, he was thankful that they weren't going to get caught up in another harvesting trap; the last one was bad enough. Without further incident, the three teens continued on to the arcade and restaurant.

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"But I don't get it!" Usagi whined, affecting a put-upon expression, and Luna sighed. It was early evening now, and even with energy practically suffusing the air, the blonde teen couldn't quite grasp what her guardian cat was trying to explain. Magic just wasn't as easy as it seemed when she was transformed.

"Alright, Usagi," said the lunar guardian in a resigned tone. "Let me explain it again."

Before she could begin, however, Ami spoke. "Guys, I've found something interesting."

Usagi looked at her gifted friend, glad to have a reprieve from Luna's constant lecturing, and along with the black cat, she gave her full attention to the raven-haired sometime Senshi.

"Have you heard about the rash of teenage girls collapsing from exhaustion?" asked Ami.

Usagi couldn't remember anything about that, but Luna replied, "Yes, and I was wondering about that. It sounds a great deal like the Dark Kingdom at work, but I couldn't figure out why such a random selection was being drained."

"Well," answered Ami, "it actually isn't random. There is a correlation between the girls drained and a radio program on InterFM. It's called Midnight Zero."

Usagi's eyes widened at this, and Luna said, "I thought there was something suspicious about that program. Usagi, I saw a girl from your school taken away in an ambulance with a black corsage on her blouse. That was what was draining her lifeforce."

The blonde-haired girl felt an unknown dread coiling in her stomach, but she couldn't figure out why. The Dark Kingdom had been draining people for over a week now, but she hadn't felt like this since…since…."

"Yes," said Ami, her tone making it clear that she hadn't divined Usagi's thoughts. "Those corsages are 'prizes' for having your letter read on the air."

At those words, the reason for the dread in Usagi's mind clicked into sharp focus: she had listened to Midnight Zero last night, and the letter read was from her best friend, Osaka Naru.

Without a word, Usagi stood and raced out of the copes of trees, heedless of her friends' cries of surprise. The Dark Kingdom had hurt Naru enough, and she still didn't know where her best friend's mother was. This was just too much.

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Back in the grove, Ami and Luna blink-blinked at the sudden departure of the sometime Moon Senshi, and the black guardian cat said, "I had better follow her." With that, Luna took off after Usagi, and Ami was left to her own devices, not knowing what to make of the strange actions of her new friend.

Returning her attention to the Mercury Computer, she continued exploring its functions. 'This computer is absolutely amazing,' she thought, awed by the power of her newest toy. 'Not only is it the most advanced computer I've ever seen, but it appears to have the capability to scan the entire planet for various energy signatures.'

Matching actions to thoughts, Ami activated the scanning feature, and she received quite a shock at the readout. Apparently, most of Minato ward was encompassed in numerous temporal distortions that were accelerating everyone's metabolism. In fact, after comparing the energy signatures with a scan of the effects on her own body, she discovered that that was where all the excitement and energy she had felt since arriving at the Tsukino home was coming from, and such a wide-spread effect worried Ami. Remembering Luna's less-than-detailed explanation regarding the powers of their enemies, the raven-haired teen scanned Minato for negaforce, and the readout took her breath away. Small spots of that dark power correlated with the distortions, proving to her that their enemy was behind the temporal effect.

Resolving to find the source of the distortions and stop it, Ami left the park, her eyes trained on the Mercury Computer's screen.

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Ranma was beginning to become concerned with the strange constructs that would have been affecting him and his friends, were he not shielding them. They were apparently speeding people up. After hours of holding a shield on the booth where he an Akane sat, as well as one on Unazuki as she worked, he was becoming somewhat tired, not to mention that it was taxing his reserves, which were now down to about fifty percent. Resolving to find the source of the constructs, Ranma applied a technique Nephrite had taught him the previous night, adding a reservoir of lifeforce to each of his shield constructs and releasing them from active control. The amount of lifeforce contained in each construct would keep them active for only about two hours, but the pigtailed boy was confident that he could find the source and return before they ran out.

"Hey Akane," he said, affecting a mild tone. "I need to run a quick errand. Would you tell Unazuki that I'll be back in a little while?"

Akane, who had been studying her history book across from him in their booth, looked up. "What do you need to do, Ranma?"

"Jus' need to pick up a couple of things at the store," the pigtailed boy lied, hoping she would buy it.

"Why don't you wait until we're heading home?" asked the raven-haired girl. "It's only another couple of hours until then."

Trying to think of a good excuse, Ranma replied, "I jus' wanna take care of it now. I'll probably forget if I don't go ahead an' do it."

Akane stared at him for a moment, finally shrugging, saying, "Alright, but remember that you promised to help us with this history test. Come back quickly."

Putting his best smile on, Ranma answered, "No prob, Akane. I'll be back before you know it."

Standing from the booth, the blue-eyed negawarrior quickly exited the Crown center, using his sensory constructs to guide him to the source of the temporal distortions.

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Usagi arrived at the apartment Naru shared with her mother…normally…after about fifteen minutes of running, and by this point, the heavily breathing blonde was franticly searching her purse for her key. Finally fishing it out, Usagi opened the door and performed a quick search of the home, ending up in her best friend's bedroom, but the sight within brought her up short. Naru was lying on her bed unconscious, the black corsage still pinned to her blouse. With a cry, Usagi raced to her friend's side.

Reaching out, the teen grasped the black flowers, and without realizing it, the blonde sometime superhero drew mana from her bind with the moon and focused it through her touch. The black corsage fell to dust in her hand, succumbing to her unknowingly cast spell.

Tears in her eyes, Usagi grabbed Naru by the shoulders, lightly shaking the girl in an attempt to wake her, but a voice from behind her stopped her actions.

"She's been drained of a substantial portion of her lifeforce, Usagi," came Luna's voice, filled with compassion. "Shaking her won't wake her up. She needs to rest to regenerate the stolen energy."

The blonde teen's sadness over her friend's predicament was quickly overcome by an uncharacteristic rage. How dare the enemy attack her best friend again?! Hadn't they taken enough from her?!

Rising, Usagi grasped her transformation brooch, and lifting her hand into the air, she angrily grated out, "Moon Prism Power, Make Up." A flash of light and power later, an enraged Sailor Moon stood there, asking Luna, "Where is the radio station?"

Obviously taken aback by Moon's tone, Luna stammered, "It—it's on the west side of Juuban, near Azabu."

Without another word, Sailor Moon stalked from the room, her mind thinking of nothing but the righteous justice she was going to bring to the enemy.

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Only being a few blocks from the Crown center, it didn't take Ranma long to arrive at the new clock store, and ignoring the closed sign sitting on the counter, he walked in. The constructs that had tried to compel his friends into the store were gone now, but he could see that this was the epicenter of the numerous constructs speeding everyone up in Juuban.

In the back of the store, through a small, unlocked door, was a tiny office, and within there was a seemingly human woman kneeling with her eyes closed. Somewhat annoyed, Ranma asked, "Hey, why are you speeding everyone up?"

The woman's eyes flew open in surprise, then narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ranma, Nephrite's apprentice," the pigtailed negawarrior replied. "Who are you?"

Looking a bit relieved, the youma answered, "Captain Shima, a temporal specialist under Master Jadeite."

"So you gonna answer my first question?"

"It's part of a harvesting operation," the youma captain answered, her tone making it clear that that should be obvious. "'Speeding everyone up,' as you put it, will increase their energy output."

Nodding unconsciously, Ranma said, "You guys might want to operate with a little more subtlety, ya know. I wouldn't want one of those Senshi to show up."

"Orders are orders," the youma replied, "and mine are to maximize the current operation's harvest."

Shrugging dubiously, Ranma said, "I guess, but—"

Suddenly, something pinged on his sensory constructs, causing the pigtailed teen to cut off abruptly: an intense source of mana just outside store. "Kuso," he muttered, and then speaking quickly, he said, "You'd better prepare for battle. I think there's a Senshi out front."

Shima's eyes widened, and pushing him out of the way, she walked through the office door, stating, "Stay here and keep out of sight."

Ranma had no choice but to comply, but he left the door cracked to watch the immanent battle.

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It hadn't taken Ami long to find the epicenter of the temporal distortions using the Mercury Computer, but she hadn't expected it to be in an innocuous, open-air shop just off the main commercial strip. Ducking into an alley across the street from the store, the raven-haired girl produced her henshin wand, and with a cry of "Mercury Power, Make Up," the newest Senshi strode across the street to confront her enemy.

As she walked past the counter, a woman exited a door in the back of the shop, asking in a pleasant, business-like tone, "Can I help you?"

Mercury was a bit confused by the question, and almost as if it were an instinct, she reached up and tapped the right side of her tiara. To her surprise, a blue-tinted visor appeared over her eyes, and on that visor a heads-up display flashed to life, one she recognized as a duplicate of the screen on her computer. Typing a quick command into her computer, she scanned the 'woman,' immediately discovering her true nature.

With a wicked grin, the blue-haired Senshi answered to the 'woman's' question. "You certainly can, monster. You can stop generating those temporal distortions."

The 'woman's' eyes widened, but only for a moment. Then, her face contorting into an expression anatomically impossible for a human, she replied, "Not going to happen, bitch." Her voice had also changed from its former business-like tone, now a cold, raspy sound that sent chills down Mercury's spine. Even as she spoke, the youma changed form, growing roughly a meter in height. Chitinous spines grew from her forearms and shoulders, and her legs changed to resemble a goat's, complete with hooves and curly black hair. Her eyes became a solid, luminescent green, and when she opened her mouth to speak again, the Senshi could see three centimeter, needle-like teeth. "I'll make sure that you never interfere with us again!"

With that, the youma charged Mercury at a speed the blue-haired Senshi didn't think possible, and she barely set herself before the beast crashed into her.

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At the Minato studios of InterFM, Jadeite was just finalizing his plans for his next operation once Project Waveforce was fully under way when his adjutant, Akonei, raced into the room.

"Master Jadeite," she said urgently, "Sailor Moon is here!"

The dark general cursed eloquently in the native tongue of the Dark Kingdom. 'How the hell does that Moon bitch stumble onto every single one of my plans?!' he thought, but being the experienced tactician and strategist that he was, Jadeite quickly set aside his feelings in favor of preparing for Moon's arrival.

"Get Sergeant Komeraii to stall her, Colonel," he said quickly. "We may have to execute Waveforce prematurely."

"Yes sir," replied the adjutant, and she quickly left the room to carry out her orders.

Jadeite snagged the completed Waveforce tape from the table and walked quickly toward the broadcast booth. He would be damned if he allowed Sailor Moon to ruin yet another of his plans, especially his pet project.

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Sailor Moon threw open the doors to the main entrance of the InterFM studios, storming into the lobby and up to the receptionist, a very surprised young man with short blonde hair.

"Where is the main broadcast booth?!" she shouted at him. "And where is Jay Daitou?!"

"I—I don't—" he stammered back, and Moon, having no patience for such denials, quickly turned away, stomping her way into the offices of the radio station without a look back.

Walking purposefully through the empty corridors of the radio station, the blonde superhero made a quick search of the offices, but other than startled workers, she saw nothing suspicious. Finally losing what little of her temper remained, Moon grabbed a middle-aged woman in a business suit, and narrowing her eyes in a way that obviously terrified the woman, she grated out, "Where is the main broadcast booth?"

Peripherally aware of the other office workers scattering, the lunar Senshi stared angrily into the eyes of her captive, and the woman, trembling with fright, managed to reply, "T—take the hall to the—the right, an—and it will b—be the third d—d—door on the left."

Without a second thought, Moon dropped the woman and turned, racing out of the door back into the corridor. Fully intending to sprint all the way to the booth, the blonde-haired Senshi didn't see another woman in her path, and since she was sprinting, Sailor Moon couldn't avoid running into her. With a crash, both females were on the ground, Moon rubbing her backside. Looking up at the woman she had collided with, eyes narrowing in annoyance, she growled, "Watch where you're going!"

Surprisingly, the other woman did not appear to be afraid of the blonde superhero, and getting to her feet, she yelled back, "YOU watch where YOU'RE going, girl! Damn it. I already didn't like you, but I thought you were at least competent. Seeing how clumsy you are, I can't figure out how you've managed to screw up all of Master Jadeite's plans!"

Sailor Moon was taken aback by such words, but it only took a moment for understanding to click in her mind. 'It's a youma!' she thought, getting to her feet and dropping into a combat stance. Her opponent didn't disappoint, and the 'woman' changed, shifting form to become a monstrous figure that appeared to be a black skeleton with bright purple, glowing eyes. The youma stared into Moons eyes with unnerving intensity, reflexively clenching and unclenching its sharp, six-clawed hands.

Not even pausing to give one of her ubiquitous speeches, Sailor Moon raced forward, intent on dealing out righteous justice on this abomination, but she was surprised when the creature weaved around her opening right hook and spin-kick combination, unloading a viciously hard upper cut into her gut. The punch lifted the blue-eyed warrior off of the ground, and after smashing into the suspended ceiling, the superhero fell to the ground on her back amid a shower of dust and broken ceiling tiles. Not even having a chance to catch her breath, Moon immediately rolled away from her opponent, barely dodging a drop kick that cracked the polished floor tiles where she had been lying only moments before.

Finally rolling back to her feet, the lunar Senshi warily watched as the youma stood, feeling a grudging respect for the monster's fighting abilities. Obviously this enemy wasn't one to underestimate.

Thinking that she should avoid hand-to-hand melee with the black skeleton, Moon reached up and snagged her tiara. Although she was certain it wouldn't destroy the creature outright, the blonde Senshi hoped that her Tiara Action attack would at least hurt the monster. Even as she began her attack, the youma was already charging her once again, and she was barely able to cry out, "Moon Tiara Action" and release her attack before the creature could crash into her.

The energy disk that was her attack flashed between youma and Senshi, and the shadowed skeleton swept an arm out to deflect the lunar attack. Much to Moon's horror, the monster succeeded in deflecting her attack, but not without cost. The tiara sheered off the youma's left arm at the elbow, causing the creature to cry out in pain, but the blonde Senshi didn't wait for it to recover.

Racing forward even as she felt her tiara reappear on her forehead, Sailor Moon attacked while the youma was distracted by its now-missing appendage, unloading three rapid, hard punches to the creature's sternum. The youma cried out again, and Moon heard the satisfying crunching sound of its ribs cracking under her assault. Not to waste her opportunity to cause the abomination more pain, the lunar superhero spun quickly and slammed a roundhouse kick into the youma's much-abused sternum, now actually breaking several ribs. The monster flew back from the force of the kick, being imbedded into the wall behind it, and deciding to finish it, Moon once again lifted her tiara off of her head.

Weakly, the youma raised its remaining arm towards Sailor Moon, but the superhero was already releasing her attack. The magical disk performed normally this time, reducing the youma to dust, but while the creatures remains were still settling to the ground, Moon hissed in pain. Looking down at her left arm, she saw six black darts sticking out of her arm from shoulder to elbow, and it didn't take her long to recognize them as the youma's fingers.

After painfully picking the barbed projectiles out of her bloody arm, wincing in pain the whole time, Sailor Moon finally returned to her original task at the studio: punishing those who continually hurt her best friend.

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Ranma watched carefully as Shima charged the new Senshi, bowling the girl over and trampling her. Since he had been distracted by arguing with Lieutenant Mano the last time he had seen this Senshi fight, the pigtailed negawarrior paid careful attention to how the blue-haired superhero fought.

Immediately after being trampled, the devil hunter rolled to the side and kippuped to her feet, turning to face the youma captain with determination in her eyes. Shima, for her part, quickly reoriented and charged again, and Ranma could only shake his head at that. Reusing tactics was a good way to become predictable, and predictability leads to defeat in battle. Sure enough, the blue-eyed teen learned quickly, and this time she dodged the youma's charge, leaving a leg out to trip her for good measure.

Shima rolled from her prone position toward her opponent and caught the newest Senshi on the right leg with two of her forearm spines, and the girl screamed in pain, jumping away. As the youma captain was getting back to her feet, the Senshi of Mercury crossed her arms in front of her breasts, calling out, "Shabon Spray!"

Ranma could feel the chill just before the entire shop was ensconced in dense fog, the water vapor condensing on his exposed skin and clothing. Considering that, Ranma fervently hoped that it would not be enough to activate his transformation, but he was sorely disappointed when the familiar tingling sensation rippled over his, now her, body. The smallest of sighs escaped the pigtailed girl's lips, both at the transformation and the fact that she couldn't see anything of the battle now.

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After gaining some breathing room by using her Shabon Spray, Sailor Mercury paused briefly to take stock of her situation. With the wound on her leg hampering her movement and the knowledge that she was almost certain to have no assistance in the battle, the newest Senshi was sorely tempted to retreat, and then perhaps to return with Sailor Moon to finish off the beast. Unfortunately, the youma would almost certainly escape cleanly in the time it would take to retrieve the Moon Senshi, so Mercury came to the unfortunate conclusion that she would have to give the battle her all.

Using her visor to see through her mystical fog, the blue-haired teen watched as the youma stood still, probably trying to hear her approach. It surprised Mercury that the creature would think so tactically, but she reminded herself that she had little experience with youma. The attack on her juku was the first instance, so she didn't have a baseline for judging the probable actions of the monsters.

Knowing that she could not outmaneuver the enemy with her injured leg, Sailor Mercury wracked her mind for how she could finish the beast off. Unfortunately for her, the only pre-programmed attack spell she could think of was her Shabon Spray, and that wouldn't hurt the enemy at all. On top of that, the mystic fog was starting to fade, and Mercury knew that she had to act. Finally, a plan came to mind, and though it was risky, something was better than nothing.

The fog had finally faded enough that the youma could see her, and the beast grinned at the blue-haired devil hunter, an unnerving smile that sent chills down her spine.

"Now it ends," the youma said smugly, and it crouched down, gathering itself to charge. Similar to its initial attack, the creature raced forward, obviously intent on trampling Mercury, and the blue-haired Senshi had to wonder if this was its only attack.

Instead of bracing herself against the charge, Sailor Mercury allowed the youma to bowl her over, and as she fell, the Senshi's hand shot out, snagging the beast's ankle. Only having the barest ideas of what she was doing, Mercury focused on her mana bind, willing the strange energy to do her bidding.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" cried the youma, it being unable to shake Mercury's vice-like grip on its ankle. A moment later, a powerful kick landed in the newest Senshi's gut, accompanied with the words, "Let go of me, you bitch!"

Another kick followed, and another, each delivered with an excoriating amount of verbal abuse, and a few tears of pain leaked out of the blue-eyed teen's eyes as she struggled to draw breath and still concentrate on her impromptu spell. Beyond the simple force of the kicks, the youma's sharp, hard hooves actually lacerated her skin, making each strike all the more painful. Finally, after seven such kicks, the Senshi saw her spell begin to take effect, and slowly, a blue line of frost was appearing on the youma's leg, slowly creeping upward. Apparently the monster noticed too, because its angry tirade suddenly stopped.

Now that the spell was taking effect, Mercury coolly analyzed how her spell was working, and through that analysis, she began to refine the spell. Continuing this process over and over, the temperature-controlling Senshi made the spell freeze the youma faster and faster. Finally, as the freezing spell reached the enemy's hip, Sailor Mercury looked up, and the fear and dismay on the youma's face was quite satisfying.

"S—stop it!" pleaded the creature, but the entreats fell on deaf ears. Mercury knew that evil beings like this one had to be purged from the world. Continuing to pour mana into her spell, the Senshi of Mercury rose to her knees, doing her best to ignore the creature's increasingly alarmed voice as she continued to refine her new spell. Finally, the youma's voice cut off, and the newest Senshi looked up to see why. The freezing process had reached the middle of the beast's chest, and Mercury could only assume that the spell had frozen the youma's diaphragm. Looking a little higher, she could see the fear and pain in her opponent's eyes, and Mercury finally felt some pity toward the being that she was in the process of killing. 'I know it is necessary,' she thought in a subdued tone, 'but I don't have to like it.'

Finally, Mercury's spell finished freezing the youma solid, and the newest Senshi released her grip on the creature's ankle, her hand and wrist aching from how hard she had been holding on. Shaking her hand to regain the feeling in it, Mercury rose to her feet, taking in her handiwork. The youma looked like it had been hit with a stream of liquid nitrogen, but Mercury could already see that, without her spell sustaining the ice, it was beginning to melt in the cool evening air.

Not knowing if a youma could survive being thawed, Sailor Mercury came to a decision. Stepping forward, she put her hand on the frozen beast's chest and gave it a light push, and Mercury watched as the creature fell backward and shattered on the pavement. She sincerely doubted that the youma could come back after that.

Still, it made her sick thinking about how long it had taken to kill the youma, almost like torturing it, and Mercury resolved to train diligently so that her enemies wouldn't have to feel that kind of pain in the future. It was unavoidable this time, since she had to work out the spell from scratch, on the spot. In the future, however, she would make sure that even her enemies didn't have to suffer.

Looking around briefly, Mercury confirmed that there were no other youma in the area and that the temporal distortions were fading, and with her work here finished, the Senshi of Mercury headed back to the park, where she hoped that her friends would rejoin her.

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After the Senshi had departed, Ranma slowly opened the office door and stepped into the street. Looking down at the slowly melting remains of Shima, the redhead shook her head sadly. This new Senshi was proving to be just as heartless and cruel as Sailor Moon, and Ranma couldn't understand how anyone could do something like slowly freezing someone to death.

Sighing, the pigtailed girl started back toward the Crown Center, commenting to no one, "That girl gives the term 'frigid bitch' a whole new meaning."

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'Damn it,' thought Jadeite, as he felt the power to the temporal distortion constructs cut off abruptly. 'If I want good returns on Project Waveforce, I'll have to play the tape now.'

Jadeite was already in the broadcasting booth when he felt Shima stop powering the temporal constructs, and he didn't know if that meant she was dead as well. Still, regardless of his youma captain's status, the dark general knew that Sailor Moon was already in the radio station, so he had to act fast. Fishing the tape out of his subspace pocket, Jadeite strode purposefully over to the equipment that would broadcast his draining construct over the airwaves, and he had just inserted it into the machine when the door to the broadcast both slammed open, revealing a very pissed-off-looking Moon Senshi.

Sailor Moon stared death into Jadeite's eyes, and the dark general was momentarily frozen where he was, shocked that the girl was projecting so much hatred toward him. For her part, Moon didn't even pause for one of her ridiculous speeches; she just charged directly at Jadeite.

Pouring annihilation energy into his shield construct, the blonde negawarrior quickly flipped the switch on the broadcasting equipment, executing Project Waveforce. The music instantly began, and Jadeite was pleased to note that the tape worked: he could feel the sound-embedded draining construct being deflected by his shield. However, the orchestrator of Project Waveforce had no time to pat himself on the back, as a furious Senshi's fist suddenly impacted the back of his head.

Jadeite slammed, face first, into the wall beside the broadcasting equipment, and the impact combined with the pain of Moon's mana-enhanced punch shattering his physical shield construct, stunned the negawarrior for an almost fatal moment. Before he could renew his shield, the Moon Senshi was already on him, raining down punches, but before she could cause more than superficial damage, Jadeite formed a quick telekinesis construct and, grabbing the blonde devil hunter with it, threw her off of him and into the far wall.

Standing again and shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, Jadeite looked up, and to his surprise, Moon was already on her feet and charging again. Thinking, 'screw this,' Jadeite formed a teleport construct and vanished from the broadcasting booth, reappearing in his quarters in the Dark Palace.

"You look like hell," commented a voice behind him, startling the dark general almost enough to activate several dormant constructs he kept ready in case of an ambush. Fortunately for Jadeite, the owner of the voice was a friend and fellow general, Nephrite. "What happened to you?"

"You know, Nephrite," Jadeite replied, "surprising me is a good way to get yourself killed."

His friend smiled, saying in a cocky tone, "I can handle anything you can throw at me."

The blonde negawarrior chuckled at his friend's bravado. "Actually, what happened is that Sailor Moon found me at the radio studio."

"Do you think she's just lucky," asked Nephrite, "or is she somehow spying on our plans?"

"I think she's just lucky," answered Jadeite. "She doesn't seem to have any inside information on the plans she stumbles on, so I doubt any kind of surveillance is involved."

Nodding, the dark-haired negawarrior said, "Well, maybe you should try to tone down how big your operations are. If you don't want to waste resources, try working in more clandestine ways."

"Ever the covert ops proponent, eh Nephrite," answered Jadeite in a rueful tone.

"Better secret than dead."

"Don't worry about me," Jadeite said. "I get along just fine."

Nephrite shrugged. "Suit yourself. I should probably get back to teaching Ranma anyway."

"Alright. I'll see you later."

With a nod, Nephrite vanished in a flash of black power, and Jadeite sat down at his desk and activated the display that tracked his pet project, eager to see the results of the first Waveforce tape activation.

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Sailor Moon screamed in frustration when her opponent vanished, the rage she felt toward the bastard not abating in the slightest. Not able to take it any longer, the Senshi finally took out her anger on the now-deserted broadcasting booth, and by the time she had completed her cathartic task, not a single piece of equipment or furniture was still in one piece. Breathing hard, Moon came back to herself surrounded by piles of debris, and while she felt somewhat guilty about destroying perfectly good equipment, the superhero knew that if she hadn't taken it out on something, she would have exploded.

"S—sailor Moon?" asked a small voice from the door, and said devil hunter looked over to see her black guardian cat standing there with a dazed look on her face. "Are you alright?"

Getting her breathing under control, Moon replied, "I'm alright, Luna. I just kinda lost it when he escaped."

"Then we had better get out of here."

Nodding to her advisor, Sailor Moon followed Luna out of the radio station and back to the park, pausing to release her transformation in a convenient alley. As they were reentering the park, the cat and girl duo met up with Ami, also just returning. Immediately, Usagi noticed the blood on her new friend's leg, and in a concerned voice, she asked, "Ami-chan, what happened to your leg?"

"It's alright," answered the raven-haired girl. "My transformation healed the cut, but I guess I forgot to wash my leg off."

Ami then proceeded to relate the events of her battle that afternoon, with Usagi filling her in on her own activities once they were safely away from prying ears. Once they finished their storytelling, Luna said, "Well, it seems that both of you have had quite a full day, so I would suggest that you both get some rest tonight."

Both girls agreed, but before they could leave, Luna performed two of her nifty double-flip maneuvers, and two small blue compacts fell to the ground. "These are communicators," the lunar cat informed the two sometime Senshi. "Keep them with you at all times, because we never know when the enemy may strike."

"Thanks, Luna," said Ami after picking one of them up and briefly inspecting it. "Well, I guess I'll be going home now. See you later, Luna, Usagi-chan."

"Bye, Ami-chan," answered Usagi, waving to her friend. Then, turning to Luna, she said, "I guess we should be heading home as well."

With that, the blonde and her cat started toward home.

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'…and return to the broadcast booth,' said Jadeite's voice in Colonel Akonei's head. 'We need to see if we can recover the Waveforce tape. Meet me at the R and D section headquarters.'

'Yes sir,' the adjutant replied, and she felt the communications link dissolve. Akonei immediately left the surveillance room at the radio station, almost unconsciously using her disguise sorcery to assume the form of a female executive producer at InterFM. Walking rapidly down the corridors, Akonei quickly arrived at the room in question, but the state of the broadcast booth took her aback. With wide eyes, Jadeite's adjutant surveyed the shambled state of the broadcast booth, and she was almost certain that not a single piece of equipment remained intact.

'Was this from the battle between Master Jadeite and Sailor Moon,' Akonei thought in awe of the damage, 'or did Sailor Moon do this after Master Jadeite already escaped?'

Sifting through the debris in a quick, competent manner, it only took Akonei five minutes to find the tape…that is, the remains of the tape. Unfortunately for the youma colonel, the tape was broken into no less than six pieces, and the magnetic film was twisted and torn in a manner that would, in her opinion, make that object irreparable.

Shaking her head, Akonei teleported back to the Negaverse in a flash of black power, reappearing in the same conference room where she and Jadeite had previously met with Dr. Merul and his assistant. The doctor was already discussing something with her dark master, so Akonei opted to wait for them to finish…or at least acknowledge her presence.

"So you can open a field in nul-space without the reflection arriving like in the induction test?" Jadeite was asking, and in reply, Dr. Merul nodded.

"Yes, though it is a very altered space compared with the standard arena, and it is much closer to the side of the barrier from which it is opened, metaphysically speaking."

"I have just the plan to make use of this new construct, Doctor," Jadeite answered with a smirk. "Thank you."

"You are quite welcome, General Jadeite," answered the venerable negalyte. A moment later, Merul's eyes focused on Akonei, and he smiled at her, saying, "Ah, Colonel. Please, join us."

At the doctor's words, Jadeite turned to look at her, and the youma colonel winced, knowing that she was the bearer of bad news. However, Akonei's duty was foremost in her mind, and she produced the remains of the tape from her subspace pocket without complaint or excuse, saying, "The broadcast booth was completely wrecked when I got there, Master Jadeite."

Jadeite growled at the pieces of what had been his pet project before shifting his eyes to the negalyte researcher, a question clear in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jadeite," Merul said in reply, his tone that of true regret. "It wasn't the concept that took so long to engineer, it was the production. Even with the remains of the previous project, it will still take upwards of five months to produce another Waveforce tape."

Jadeite sighed in obvious resignation. "Well, get to work on another tape as soon as possible. The results from just this one use are enough to warrant that. Also, have one of those nul-space field generators ready for me by tomorrow night."

"It will be as you say, General Jadeite," answered the doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor Merul," Jadeite said with a nod. Then, turning to Akonei, he ordered, "Let's go, Colonel. We have preparations to make."

"Yes sir," answered the adjutant, falling into step behind the blonde general.

'One thing that makes serving under Jadeite so interesting,' reflected Akonei as she followed her master out of the room, 'is that he always has so many varied and diverse plans in mind.'

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Author's notes:

I'll leave the primary notes regarding the split of this episode in two for its second part; let's just say that it works better for me this way. Thanks for reading. Later, all.


	15. Chapter 3 E7: Quick Tempo P2

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

As this isn't technically a new part, I'm not writing a new disclaimer for it. : )

Chapter Three: Dreaming in Moonlight

Episode Seven: The Quickening Tempo of Combat (Part 2)

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Akane met Ranma in the lobby of their apartment building the next morning to walk to school, as had become their custom. Normally, the two of them would chat amicably along the way, but this morning, Ranma had a contemplative look that told her that he was deep in thought. Though it annoyed her that he wasn't speaking, she could tell that what ever was on his mind was serious, and she didn't want to interrupt him.

"Hi guys!" came a cheerful voice, and Akane looked up from her annoyed brooding to see Unazuki waving energetically at them.

"Morning, Unazuki," the raven-haired teen replied, and when Ranma didn't react, she finally had had enough of his oblivious countenance. "Ranma! Aren't you going to at least say hello?!"

The pigtailed boy started at her sharp tone, almost falling off of the fence. Looking down, he smiled apologetically, saying, "Sorry Akane, Unazuki. Ohayou."

As per usual, Akane's anger subsided quickly enough, and the walk to school continued in the usual fashion, Ranma not returning to his quiet contemplation. As they reached the school gates, however, the Tendo daughter's composure immediately cracked. Once again, the object of her most intense ire, one Kuno Tatewaki, was standing in the schoolyard.

Growling, Akane crouched, ready to charge the moron, but a hand on her shoulder brought her up short. "Hey Akane," said the owner of the hand, Ranma. "What's with this baka? I mean, you kicked his ass just a couple of days ago, and he's already back?"

The raven-haired Tendo opened her mouth to reply, but said baka preempted her, calling out, "Who dares to lay hands on my tigress of the hunt?! Name yourself, knave!"

Ranma opened his mouth to reply, but the presumptuous Kuno interrupted him. "But is it not the custom to introduce one's self first?" the hakama-clad boy intoned. "Then I shall. I am the captain of the Furinkan High School kendo club, the rising young star of the high school kendo world! I am known by my peers as the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High: Kuno Tatewaki, age seventeen!"

Shaking her head, Akane could only sigh in embarrassment, thankful that she was no longer associated with that school. A sudden growl from the person next to her surprised her, and when she looked up she could see the anger in Ranma's eyes.

"The name's Saotome Ranma," the pigtailed warrior grated out, "and I don't see any 'tigress' here."

Looking indignant, Kuno retorted, "She stands there, lovely and graceful in form and feature, and you have yet to remove your hand from her person, varlet. No one may lay hands on Tendo Akane unless they have first defeated her in combat!"

What Akane heard next caused her eyes to widen in horror: in the most innocent of voices, Unazuki said, "Well, he beat her in a spar a few days ago, so I guess it's okay in your book."

A betrayed look on her face, the youngest Tendo turned to stare at her redheaded friend, but before she could impress upon Unazuki the girl's mistake, Kuno growled out, "It cannot be so! For such presumption, worthless peasant, I will show you your place!"

Without further speech, Tatewaki charged at the pigtailed boy, and Akane could only watch in appreciation as Ranma started taking him apart. Dodging the bokken-wielding boy's initial overhand strike, the Saotome heir led off with a backhand to the Kuno scion's face, immediately followed by an outer leg reap, laying the boy out on his back. Not to be so easily defeated, Kuno rolled to his feet, and charging Ranma once again, he swung again, this time appearing to reserve power in exchange for speed.

Like a wisp of smoke, Ranma weaved between the idiotic kendoist's strikes, and by the contemptuous look on the pigtailed teen's face, he was doing so with complete ease. Finally, Ranma struck back, disarming Kuno with a hard hammer fist to the wrist, and without breaking stride, he hammered the older boy with three jabs to the stomach. As Kuno doubled over, Ranma drew back his leg, commenting, "You shouldn't fight people who outclass you this much."

With that, Ranma swung his leg forward, connecting with the short-haired boy's forehead and launching him over the school wall and out toward the horizon. Akane smiled approvingly despite the fact that she would rather have been the one to deal with Kuno, and jogging over to him, she said, "Thanks, Ranma."

The pigtailed boy shrugged, and smiling back at her, he said, "He had it coming, right?"

"Yeap," she replied, and then Akane turned to Unazuki, the betrayed look returning to her face. "But why did you tell him that Ranma beat me, Unazuki-chan?"

Joining them and smiling brightly, the redhead answered, "Angry fighters are sloppy fighters, right?"

Both Akane and Ranma looked owlishly at the usually unassuming red-haired teen, and Ranma recovered first. "I didn't need any help with him, Unazuki," said Ranma, affecting a look of bruised pride.

Unazuki just laughed at him, and Akane couldn't help but join in. The day was off to a great start despite a certain moronic kendoist's brief interruption.

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High above Juuban High, a figure in a grey uniform watched the brief martial arts match between Nephrite's apprentice and that persistent young man after one of Ranma's female friends. His long, wavy blond hair streaming behind him in its ponytail, Zoisite considered the kendoist's behavior. While obviously deranged, the boy was single-minded in his purposes, from what he could gather, and Queen Beryl said that the guardians of the ginzuishou would most likely be the most dedicated on the planet.

'But does she really think that someone like that would be a guardian?' he thought a bit incredulously. After a moment's thought, the dark general sighed, thinking, 'Oh well; it's not like any of my other leads have panned out.'

Without another thought, Zoisite flew after the now airborne Kuno, intent on stalking the kendoist until he was satisfied that there was no connection between him and the ginzuishou.

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Walking away from Juuban Junior High after school let out, Ami was studying various readings on her computer while Usagi, walking next to her, chattered about nothing in particular. Since she was working on finding out what their enemy was up to, the raven-haired genius had tuned out her friend, especially as the readings and correlations her computer was reporting were becoming more and more interesting.

The previous night, Ami had stayed up late playing with her computer, and from it she had gained a great deal of general information on their enemy and where they were based. Since learning that normal humans would die rather rapidly if transported to the Negaverse without special shielding against the ambient energy of that realm, Ami had started several scanning routines to search for the victims that had been kidnapped by the Dark Kingdom forces over the past two weeks. She hadn't had a chance to check on their progress before school let out, and now she was analyzing the results, which were nothing short of astounding. The mercury computer had picked up three high concentrations of both lifeforce and negaforce in Minato and Shinjuku, and there was a very high probability, projected by her computer, that those were Dark Kingdom bases and holding centers for the captives.

"Ami-chan?" asked Usagi, breaking said girl's concentration.

Looking up from her terminal's screen, she answered interrogative with interrogative. "Yes, Usagi-chan?"

"What's got you so spaced out?"

"I found something with my computer," answered the teenage genius, a tinge of excitement coloring her tone. "I'll tell you about it once we meet up with Luna."

Though still looking confused, her blonde friend seemed to accept her answer, and Ami enjoyed the other girl's silence as they completed their walk to the park, intending to meet Luna in the same copes of tree where they had discussed magic the previous day. When they finally arrived at their destination, Ami saw that Luna was a cat of her word, and the black lunar guardian was sitting patiently in the grove as they pushed past the final branches.

"Good to see you, girls," greeted Luna, standing and walking toward them. "We have a lot of ground to cover today, so I hope you're both ready to work."

"Actually," Ami replied, "I have some news that might change your plans."

Luna looked up at her with a quizzical expression, and Ami decided that the black cat wanted her to elaborate. "I used the mercury computer to scan for various energy signatures last night, and when I checked the results on the way over here, they revealed three probable locations for Dark Kingdom bases."

"Very impressive, Ami," answered Luna, "but what do you want to do with that information?"

Her eyes narrowing, the newest Senshi replied, "I think we need to go on the offensive."

Luna's eyes widened, and she cautioned, "We are having enough trouble just fending off the attacks as we are, Ami. Do you really think it wise to walk into an enemy stronghold?"

"You can't win a war while only fighting defensively," Ami rebutted. "Besides, we know that the enemy gains power from lifeforce, and the fact that they kidnapped people rather than just draining them makes it a very high probability that the enemy is using the victims as a renewable source of that energy. If we don't free the captives, then the Dark Kingdom with just keep becoming stronger."

"But…but what about the risks?" Luna argued, her tone a bit weak after Ami's assault of logic. "If these are truly enemy bases, they will be well defended."

"Surprise is a formidable ally," answered the sometime Senshi of Mercury, her eyes sparkling as she continued to defeat every challenge to her plan, "and the enemy most likely believes these strongholds are secret. In such a case, they would only be minimally defended. However, if it makes you feel better, we can consider this an exploratory mission to the smallest of the bases, and if we even sense something wrong, we retreat."

Ami knew she had won the debate when Luna sighed, but even defeated, the cat said, "Yes, we most certainly should consider this attack as exploratory. Where is the target, Ami?"

Taking out her computer and pulling up the relevant data, she sat down on the leaf-covered ground, motioning for the others to look at the screen. After both Usagi and Luna settled down to watch, Ami explained, "Well, the smallest of the bases is in Shinjuku, here, and if we…."

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Ranma followed Unazuki and Akane into the Crown center, his two friends intent on continuing their usual routine on days that the redhead had to work. That meaning, of course, Akane and him studying at a booth while Unazuki did her rounds, and then, when the green-eyed girl had her breaks, they would keep her company. As they entered the Game Center that took up the lower portion of the Crown, Unazuki's older brother, Motoki, greeted them with a smile and a wave.

"Hi imouto-chan," said the blonde-haired college student. "Okaasan said that one of the other girls asked for some overtime, so you don't have to work until five thirty or so."

"Thanks, onii-chan," answered the redhead, and turning to Ranma and Akane, she asked, "How 'bout we play some games down here for a while?"

Shrugging, Ranma assented to the request, but Akane protested. "Shouldn't we get down to studying? Juuban High is actually quite a bit harder than Furinkan was."

"Oh, come on, Akane-chan! I don't usually have a little free time in the afternoon before I have to work. It's not enough time to go do anything fun, so we have to hang out here."

Akane looked like she wanted to say something else, but Ranma put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, and he said, "She's right, Akane. Besides, we have all afternoon and evening after Unazuki has to start work to study."

"But that history test…" Akane whined, but it was obvious to the pigtailed teen that she had given in.

Looking back to where Unazuki had been standing, he found her over by the counter, getting several rolls of fifty yen pieces from her brother. At his questioning look, she explained, "You don't actually think we have to pay to play video games in my family arcade, do you?"

Ranma shrugged; money wasn't exactly a problem for him since taking up with Nephrite. After following Unazuki into the Game Center proper, she handed him a roll of coins and asked what he wanted to play.

"I dunno," he replied after scanning the available machines. "I haven't exactly played many video games in my life."

"Okay then," the redhead said, gesturing to a two player fighting game. "How about this one?"

"Sure," Akane piped up. "I'm pretty good at this one!"

Letting his friends step up to the console, Ranma watched them play, content to enjoy Akane being continually frustrated by the more highly skilled Unazuki.

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The sun was setting when the two warriors for love and justice and one lunar guardian cat arrived outside of an unassuming, supposedly abandoned warehouse in Shinjuku, near the border to Minato. Sailor Moon felt both nervous and elated: nervous because this action, attacking the enemy where they lived, hadn't been done before, and elated because they would finally be striking back at the Dark Kingdom. All the times she had failed to protect people in the past still haunted the blonde Senshi, and this chance to free some of those victims gave her hope that she could atone for not being strong enough to stop the kidnappings in the first place. Luna had tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault, but in her heart of hearts, Moon couldn't blame anyone but herself, as she was the guardian of the innocent in Juuban.

Glancing at her companion, the Senshi of the Moon blinked in surprise. Her blue-haired compatriot, Sailor Mercury, had a strange blue visor over her eyes, one that the blonde superhero had never seen before. Opening her mouth to ask the other Senshi about it, she was preempted when said soldier spoke.

"I was right," Mercury stated in a satisfied tone. "Now that we're closer, I can identify that there are approximately two hundred humans inside, each in a near-comatose state, and three youma, powers unknown."

"Remember, girls," said Luna in a cautionary tone, "we are treating this as an exploratory mission only. Get in, study the layout, find out about the guards, and get out without being seen. The last thing we need is to lose either of you."

Though Moon had no intention of leaving without freeing the captives, she answered in the affirmative to placate her advisor. "I know, Luna."

Apparently, that satisfied the moon cat, because all she said beyond her instructions was, "Good luck, Senshi." With that, the small lunar cat raced away, hiding herself in an alley, and Moon looked into Mercury's eyes, seeing her own desire to shut the base down mirrored in her sister Senshi's eyes. With a resolute nod, which Mercury returned, the two Sailor Senshi strode purposefully forward, their minds on only the objective of their mission.

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Sergeant Ayashi, noting that it was sunset, called her two subordinates together for the daily report. Although vital to the war effort, harvesting station duty was one of the most boring a warrior youma could pull, and thus, it was given either as punishment or to low-ranked youma. Hence, that was how a mere sergeant like Ayashi was able to get a command of her own. She didn't exactly resent it, but the horse-headed youma would have preferred the real command that came with a higher rank. Youma below the rank of captain were normally regarded as mere foot soldiers in the army of the Dark Kingdom.

Since they were inside the base, Ayashi had allowed the two youma under her command to relax in their natural forms, rather than use their sorcery to change into human form. It was much more comfortable that way, and she knew her subordinates appreciated the more relaxed atmosphere. The first of her troops to arrive entered walking on her hundreds of arms, looking like a five-meter long centipede with a woman's head. Corporal Kyota clacked her mandibles together as the front two meters of her body reared up, making her slightly taller than Ayashi, and after saluting with one of her many arms, she hissed out, "Reporting as ordered."

Ayashi nodded, but before she could speak, her other subordinate entered, walking on four legs that would have looked natural on a komodo dragon, her leathery skin creaking. Her upper body looked much like a human woman, though still covered with that same green skin, and she saluted in a more conventional way, being closer to humanoid than Kyota.

"Reporting as ordered," Corporal Kinja lisped out, the hiss in her voice due to two centimeter, razor-sharp teeth and a forked tongue.

"Alright," said the youma sergeant, nodding to the two lower-ranked youma. "Time for the daily report."

Kyota answered first. "East wing is secure, and I've already sent our latest batch of filled lifeforce crystals through to the storage centers in Dark Moon."

"Likewise in West wing," reported Kinja. "All of the harvesting stock is in good health, and drain is proceeding apace."

"Very good, soldiers," Ayashi commended, nodding to each of the others. "Well, I know it's boring, but you know the drill. Do a perimeter sweep, Kyota, and Kinja, you do a maintenance check on the security systems. We don't want any—"

At that moment, alarms began to sound, indicating a perimeter breach in East wing, and the youma sergeant took a moment to curse creation and its strange sense of irony. However, Ayashi was a trained warrior, and snapping her thoughts away from ideas about a multiversal sick sense of humor, she immediately revised her orders. "Kyota, get over to your station; I'll back you up. Kinja, head over to West wing and keep in communication. I want you over there and alert in case this is a diversion."

"Yes Ma'am!" shouted the two youma corporals, and without any further chatter, they left the command center in opposite directions, Ayashi following her centipede-like subordinate toward the likely source of the trouble.

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Dodging from shadow to shadow, Sailor Mercury followed her sister Senshi into the warehouse, both doing their best to keep their approach silent. Surprisingly, the door on the east side of the building was unlocked, and after stealing through into the darkness of a short hallway flanked by a stairwell, the two magical girls entered the warehouse proper, the sight before them taking their breath away.

The interior of the warehouse consisted of a three story tall, open room, the various levels accessible via catwalks that crisscrossed above them. Stacked along the walls and in orderly aisles throughout the enormous room were blue crystal cylinders, each one containing a human. Around each cylinder were more blue crystal formations, and Mercury could actually see the energy, like a faint blue mist, slowly being drawn from the captive people into what she could only assume were storage crystals. The blue-haired superhero was about to investigate further when a small, sharp cry drew her eyes to Sailor Moon.

The blonde in question was standing next to one particular crystal prison, her white-gloved hand resting lightly on the surface. Walking quietly over to her sister Senshi, Mercury whispered, "What's wrong, Sailor Moon?"

A single, silent tear tracked down Moon's face as she answered, "It's Naru's mother. I—I thought she was dead."

Gazing into the crystalline cylinder, Mercury saw a naked auburn-haired middle-aged woman, still beautiful and in her prime. The blue-haired Senshi had never met Moon's best friend, Osaka Naru, but Mercury had certainly heard enough about the girl.

Cutting off her musings, Moon resolutely growled, "We have to get her out, Mercury."

Nodding to the blonde warrior for love and justice, the newest Senshi set her computer to scan the crystal prison that contained her sister warrior's best friend's mother, learning a great deal about the harvesting apparatus in just a few seconds. Finally, her scan revealed an energy signature near the top of the cylinder that seemed to indicate a hatch, and hopping up to the flat surface above, she examined it closely.

"I think this is where it opens," Mercury mumbled to her self, using her hands to explore the smooth surface. "And the energy converges…if I can just…umm…there!"

At her last exclamation, the cylinder hissed, releasing a jet of blue mist, and a moment later, the entire front of the harvesting crystal began to retract. Without waiting for Mercury, Moon rushed forward to catch the elder Osaka, cradling the woman's unconscious, naked form in her arms as she silently cried.

Unfortunately, blaring alarms interrupted the touching scene, and Sailor Mercury was instantly on guard, eyes darting from shadowed corner to obfuscated catwalk.

"Get her into the hallway, Sailor Moon!" ordered Mercury in a quiet but forceful tone. "We are about to have company!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Mercury noted that Moon was quickly complying with her command, but the genius devil hunter had little time to consider that. On her heads-up display, she could see two of the three negaforce sources, youma she assumed, heading rapidly toward their position. Crouching in the scant protection provided by the now empty harvesting cylinder, Mercury readied herself for combat, but she was taken off guard when a blast of black energy slammed into the floor next to her, sending the Senshi of Mercury flying.

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Corporal Kyota moved rapidly away from the central command center of the Shinjuku harvesting station, worry crystallizing inside her. Master Jadeite had not garrisoned their base with particularly powerful youma because he considered secrecy its chief defender. Unfortunately, that assumption was now coming back to bite them.

"Corporal," whispered her commanding officer, and once she looked at Ayashi, the sergeant continued. "Your specialty is close, hand-to-hand fighting, is it not?"

Kyota nodded, and the horse-headed youma ordered, "I want to on the ground floor, ready to get in close after I distract the invaders. I'll be up on the second floor providing cover fire."

"Yes ma'am," answered the centipede-like youma, pausing briefly to salute her superior, and a moment later, Ayashi split off from Kyota, heading for the stairwell.

As quietly as she could, Kyota raced into East wing, keeping low to avoid detection. Scanning the room, the chitinous youma's pulmonary arch almost stopped when she saw who had intruded into the harvesting station: the Senshi called, by the latest briefing update, Sailor Mercury was crouched behind a now empty harvesting crystal. Fighting to control her breathing and remain silent, Kyota readied herself to charge the moment her commanding officer attacked, and it wasn't more than thirty seconds before a black bolt of sorcerous energy lanced down from the second floor and blasted the blue-haired Senshi into the air, shooting her straight toward Kyota's position.

Rearing up into Mercury's path, the youma corporal readied ten of her many hands to catch the magical girl, drawing back another ten to skewer the enemy after she was immobilized.

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Sailor Moon rapidly complied with Mercury's order to get Kiiroko out of harms way, and the blonde Senshi had just deposited Naru's mother in the relative safety of the hallway when she heard the explosion. Racing back into the warehouse proper, Moon was horrified to see her new compatriot flying through the air toward a centipede-like monstrosity, and without thinking, the blonde devil hunter rushed forward, leaping into a jump kick at the creature's head.

Just as the red-carapaced youma caught the obviously dazed Senshi of Mercury, Moon's red-booted foot connected with the monster's black-mandibled face, knocking it back and wrenching Mercury free from most of its grasping, crimson-clawed hands. Working quickly, Sailor Moon slammed her right forearm down at the remaining appendages holding her sister Senshi, and with a sickening cracking noise, the Senshi of the Moon severed the offending limbs. The youma screamed in pain, green ichor spraying from its mangled appendages, but before Moon could feel any satisfaction in punishing the monster, a burst of adrenaline warned her to move.

Grabbing Mercury under the other girl's arms, Sailor Moon leapt away, carrying her still-dazed comrade away just in time to avoid another blast of dark power. Landing lightly about four meters away, Moon lightly shook Mercury, whispering, "C'mon Mercury. Snap out of it."

Thankfully, Sailor Mercury shook her head, snapping herself out of her shell-shocked expression, and a moment later, she stood, crossing her arms and calling out, "Shabon Spray!"

A dense fog covered the area, so thick that Moon couldn't see her hand in front of her face, and Mercury whispered, "That should keep our sniper from firing on us again."

"Yeah," answered Moon, "but now I can't see either."

"Don't worry, Sailor Moon," answered Mercury, Moon almost hearing the smile in her voice. "I can see using my visor. You go back into the hallway and up the stairwell; I'll take care of the monster down here."

Although she couldn't see, Sailor Moon nodded to her sister devil hunter before turning away from the battle on the ground floor in favor of taking care of the sniper.

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Ayashi was mumbling curses non-stop as her impromptu plan was falling apart. With the appearance of Sailor Moon, her well-placed blast at Mercury was wasted, and Kyota was now injured. Trying to recover the situation, the youma sergeant fired off another blast, giving her subordinate some breathing room. Unfortunately, Ayashi could see from her vantage point that their blue-haired adversary had recovered herself, and now Kyota was going to have to face both of them.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury cried out, and Ayashi's curses became more creative and colorful. The dense fog that now covered the ground floor, obscuring her view, completely removed the youma sergeant's ability to assist her subordinate, and before she could decide how to proceed, a horrible keening sound emanated from the shrouded floor. Paling, the horse-headed youma recognized Kyota's screams of agony, and she was about to vault over the railing to assist the corporal when a shout brought her up short.

"How dare you kidnap people and use them like batteries!" shouted Sailor Moon, appearing from the stairwell at the other end of Ayashi's catwalk and running towards the youma sergeant, even as she continued her speech. "I fight for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon, and I will punish you in the name of the Moon!"

Not sparing a moment to consider the Senshi's irrelevant speech, Ayashi's hand darted into her pocket, quickly activating the intercom with West wing before setting herself to receive Moon's charge. At least Kinja would know what was happening.

Moon wasted no time in attacking, throwing a full-force punch straight at Ayashi's face, and the youma sergeant barely blocked the blow, her forearm stinging from the force of the blow. Not to be out done, Ayashi fought back, lashing out with a follow-up hammer fist that the blonde magical girl dodged. Going in low, Moon turned her dodge into a hard knee strike that almost doubled the horse-headed youma over, but Ayashi's glowing yellow eyes flashed dangerously. The youma capitalized on the blonde Senshi's proximity and captured her left arm, twisting quickly and throwing Sailor Moon six meters down the catwalk towards the command center.

Rolling with her landing, Moon sprang back to her feet and charged Ayashi once again, but this time, the youma sergeant caught the blonde devil hunter's punch in an x-block, twisting and attempting to add the lunar Senshi's momentum to another throw. Unfortunately, Sailor Moon's left hand darted out and snagged Ayashi's wrist, the combination of forces unbalancing the combatants and pitching them over the railing of the catwalk toward the ground below.

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Nervous and worried, Corporal Kinja patrolled West wing, stalking silently between the quiet harvesting crystals and along the catwalks. Apparently, what ever had tripped the alarms hadn't been a feint, and now the lizard-like youma was becoming worried about her compatriots. It had been about ten minutes since Ayashi and Kyota had left the command center to investigate the alarm in East wing, and she had yet to receive a report on what was happening. Any further musings were cut off, however, when her intercom crystal activated.

"…punish you in the name of the Moon!" emanated from the crystal, and Kinja paled at the implication. If the Senshi were here, they were in deep trouble. Eyes widening, Kinja recognized another sound in the background: a keening noise she had only heard once, that time being when a levitation construct had failed during the construction of the Shinjuku station. When the construct failed, a harvesting crystal had fallen on three of Kyota's limbs, crushing them, and that was the only time she had ever heard that kind of sound.

With her comrades obviously in danger, Kinja abandoned her post, racing back toward the command center and East wing. As she entered the central room, the youma corporal stopped briefly, opening the weapons locker and pulling out a crystal-launching sniper rifle. If both of her compatriots were fighting for their lives, she reasoned, the best way she could help was by getting the high ground and picking their opponents off.

Her course decided, Kinja sprinted up the stairwell to the third floor catwalks, quickly taking in the battle below. Sailor Moon was charging Sergeant Ayashi on a second floor catwalk, and through the slowly clearing mist shrouding the first floor, Kinja could barely make out two silhouettes that she could only assume were Kyota and Sailor Mercury.

Crouching on the catwalk, Kinja shouldered her weapon, but before she could fire at Moon, Ayashi caught the blonde Senshi's fist, and after a brief struggle, the youma and the devil hunter fell over the railing of their catwalk, plummeting toward the ground while still fighting.

Kinja cursed, trying to find a target in the fog below, but the obfuscating cloud didn't allow her to see who was who. It was not an option to hit one of her comrades with a stray shot.

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Mercury 'oofed' as a stray limb got in a lucky shot in her stomach, the clawed hand raking red lines of fire down the front of her abdomen. Wincing, the blue-haired Senshi's hand darted out, catching the offending appendage at the elbow. Concentrating for a moment, Mercury's hand flashed with a blue aura, freezing the flesh she grasped, and with a vicious twist, the teenage devil hunter broke it off.

Sailor Mercury found little satisfaction in her work, still remembering her vow not to cause even her enemies agony, but she had little choice in the matter. Since the Shabon Spray was her only preprogrammed spell, she had to make use of what she was calling her Ice Hand to fight. Thankfully, the Senshi of Mercury had single-mindedly practiced the spell the previous evening, after she had created it during her last battle, and she was now fast enough with it to instantly freeze small objects. Unfortunately, it was very tiring, and her enemy had yet to stop moving.

Said enemy, still blinded by her Shabon Spray, was in bad shape, nonetheless. The first thing Mercury had done once she had the advantage was to climb up on top of one of the crystal cylinders and land a hard drop kick on the youma's back, actually severing the last two meters of the creature's body. Since then, she had been doing her best to end the battle quickly and with as little pain as possible, but the youma wasn't making it easy.

Tossing the arm she had broken off away, Mercury noticed that her mystical fog was starting to clear, so the blue-haired Senshi resolved that she needed to finish the fight quickly. Rushing forward, heedless of the many, clawed limbs scraping her arms and legs, Mercury got in close, ignoring the hands that now clenched her legs and shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she reached her objective, grasping the youma's head between her hands, and the creature's glowing red eyes widened as Mercury concentrated, focusing her power between her hands. In an instant, the deed was done, and the Senshi of Mercury pressed her hands together, shattering the monster's now-frozen head.

Now headless, the youma's much-abused body convulsed for a moment before lying still, rapidly beginning to decay in the ambient lifeforce of Earth. Sighing, Mercury turned to assess the situation, and she was surprised to see Sailor Moon fighting hand-to-hand with another youma just fifteen meters away. Deciding that her sister Senshi could use some assistance, Mercury began to make her way over to where Moon was battling the horse-headed youma, but something hit her in the back, knocking her to the ground, a sharp, stabbing pain in her back causing her to cry out in agony.

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As the fog finally cleared, Kinja made out Kyota and Mercury, and a feeling of elation welled up in the lizard-like youma. Kyota had the teenage magical girl by the legs and shoulders, and her fellow corporal looked like she was about to finally end the threat that one Senshi represented to their cause. This elation, however, died a painful death when Mercury suddenly grabbed Kyota's head in her hands, and in a flash of blue light, the Senshi of Mercury ended her comrade's life by crushing the youma corporal's head between her hands.

Yellow, phosphorescent tears made tracks down Kinja's face as she watched the enemy coldly turn away from the body of her comrade, and the sniper's jaw clenched as she watched Mercury turn, obviously about to lend her aid to Sailor Moon against Sergeant Ayashi. Quickly taking aim, Kinja fired twice, hitting Sailor Mercury in the right shoulder and shoulder blade, knocking the killer to the ground.

A small feeling of satisfaction, of avenging the death of a comrade, filled her as she carefully aimed at the back of the blue-haired Senshi's head, but before she could end the heartless magical girl's life, three intensely painful objects impacted her left arm, causing her to drop the rifle. Looking down, Kinja found three blood-red roses sticking out of her wrist, elbow, and shoulder, and looking up, the youma despaired as she saw the mysterious, tuxedo-clad ally of the Senshi crouching and the other end of her catwalk.

Without a word, the man drew a cane from beneath his cloak and charged her, his intent clear. Kinja, knowing that at this point she was in no shape to battle alone, leapt from her catwalk to the one on the second floor, and from there, down to the ground level.

'If I can just reach the sergeant,' the youma thought desperately, 'then maybe we can work together to beat them back.'

Thankfully, Mercury was still down, and as Kinja landed, Moon had apparently not noticed her arrival. Rearing up behind the lunar Senshi, the youma corporal tried to strike Sailor Moon on the back of the head with a double hammer fist, but somehow, the blonde devil hunter managed to dodge most of the hit's effect, only receiving a glancing blow to her left shoulder. Still, it was better than nothing, and Kinja did notice Moon's wince as the blow distracted her for a moment.

Grinning triumphantly, Ayashi reacted immediately to Kinja's distraction, going for a full-force punch that connected with Sailor Moon's face, and the youma sergeant immediately cupped her hands, gathering a blast of dark energy to finish off the Senshi of the Moon.

Suddenly, Ayashi 'irked,' standing stiffly for a moment before going to one knee, and Kinja watched in horror as the tuxedo guy raised his cane for another strike on her commanding officer's head. The youma corporal was about to attack the man, regardless of her injuries, when a pained hiss came from Ayashi. "Kinja," the injured sergeant managed to whisper, "get out of here. Re—report to Master Ja—Jadeite."

Eyes widening, Kinja almost questioned her commanding officer, but the man's next blow emphasized the order by decapitating Ayashi. Swallowing back a sob, Kinja turned away from the scene of carnage, racing toward the command center and its teleport matrix.

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Sailor Moon watched as Tuxedo Kamen swung his cane, literally knocking her former opponent's head off. The youma that had blind-sided her, now facing very long odds, turned tail and ran, sprinting for a door on the far side of the room.

"Sailor Moon!" yelled Kamen, snapping her out of her minor daze. "Don't let the youma escape!"

Getting to her feet and nodding resolutely to her rescuer, Sailor Moon reached up to her tiara, and calling out "Moon Tiara Action," she released her final attack at the fleeing monster. The youma was almost at the door when the glowing disk of light caught up with her, but apparently it was still strong enough to resist the power of the attack. Rather than turning the creature to dust, the discus slashed into its left rear leg, severing the limb.

The youma, barely slowed by the loss of a walking appendage, disappeared through the door just as Moon felt her tiara reappear on her forehead, and she was just about to chase after the monster when a quiet groaning brought her up short. When she found the source of said groaning about thirty seconds later, Moon's heart froze: Sailor Mercury was lying on her stomach, covered in blood. Kneeling next to her sister Senshi, Moon could see the two crystal shards sticking out of her back, and with a trembling hand, the lunar Senshi reached out and removed them, eliciting a sharp cry from Mercury with each.

Not really knowing what she was doing, Moon pressed her hands against her friend's bloody back, willing her magic to help her friend, somehow. If she hadn't had her eyes closed, she would have seen the white glow suffuse her hands, slowly covering the other Senshi's form and seeming to absorb into her prone form. A moment later, a groan coming from her impromptu patient caused Moon to open her eyes, and she watched as the blue-haired girl's eyes fluttered open, most of her wounds significantly better off in the few seconds she had prayed.

After getting to a kneeling position next to Moon, Mercury asked, "What happened?"

Sighing in relief, Moon tiredly replied, "We won."

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Corporal Urya, bored during her shift in the command center of the Juuban East harvesting station, was preening her feathers when the teleport matrix activated, spilling a badly injured youma onto the floor. Alarmed, the bird-like youma immediately rushed over to the prone form that she now recognized as Corporal Kinja of the Shinjuku harvesting station.

"By Metallia!" exclaimed Urya, kneeling next to her comrade. "What happened to you, Kinja?!"

When the lizard-like youma didn't answer, Urya realized that she was unconscious, probably from her wounds. Between the three roses stabbed painfully into her arm and the missing leg, the pink-and-red-feathered youma could understand why. Racing over to the command console, the black-eyed youma activated the emergency call feature of the intercom crystal system. "This is the command center; I need a healer here immediately!"

After shutting off the intercom, Urya returned to Kinja's side, fretting over her for the entire three minutes it took for the healer to arrive. The healer, one Lieutenant Koshi, was an amorphous youma that could change its form at will, and while currently in humanoid form, her natural form was more like a puddle of goo.

"Do you know what happened to her?" asked Koshi as three tentacles extended out of her chest and stomach, wrapping gently around Kinja's prone form.

"No, ma'am," answered the distraught corporal. "She just appeared from the teleport matrix like that."

Koshi sighed, the tentacles now coating the various wounds that covered the unconscious youma's body with secretions that would aid in the healing process. "Help me get her to a healing vat. Hopefully, we can regrow her leg too, but right now, we need to focus on saving her life. She's lost a great deal of blood."

After getting Kinja situated in the healing vat, Koshi turned to Urya. "Is this your shift in the command center?" she asked, and after receiving a nod in reply, the amorphous youma ordered, "Then you had better go report this to Master Jadeite. He'll want to know of this immediately."

Nervously, Urya made her way back to the command center, dreading what she was about to do. Giving Jadeite bad news wasn't the way to advance in the army.

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Luna was quite distraught when her two charges exited the building, both covered in injuries and blood. Bouncing back and forth between anger and worry, the black lunar guardian cried out, "What in Serenity's name happened in there?!"

"We need to get out of here, Luna," Moon answered in a tired voice. "The police are on the way."

Growling, Luna nonetheless followed her charges away from the scene of the latest battle against the Dark Kingdom, knowing that she didn't want her charges to have to answer any awkward questions. The two Senshi and one lunar cat stole through alleys, making their way clandestinely back to Juuban. Finally, once they arrived in the park near Usagi's house where Luna usually gave them their magic lessons, Luna demanded an answer.

Moon and Mercury took turns relating the story of how they defeated three youma and freed over two hundred people, the lunar Senshi finishing the story by saying, "But the last youma managed to get away."

"What happened to this being a exploratory mission?!" scolded Luna.

"Well," replied a very chagrinned Moon. "Once I saw Naru's mother in there, I just had to get her out, and that's what set off the alarms."

Luna sighed in exasperation, and Mercury continued where her sister Senshi left off. "After the battle was over, Sailor Moon and I opened all of the harvesting crystals, and once all the people were out, the crystals began to fall apart. I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Oh," chirped Moon, perking up, "Haruna-sensei was in there, too."

Luna felt somewhat relieve by that news; Moon's failure to protect the teacher had been one of the major drivers for the blonde teen's depression before. Now, with a major victory and another Senshi around, the moon cat hoped that her primary charge wouldn't slip back into those pits again.

"I'm dead tired," whined Moon, interrupting Luna's thoughts. Looking up at the night sky, the black cat decided not to chide the blonde for complaining.

"You girls have had a busy day," she said in reply. "Why don't we all head home."

Everyone agreeing to that statement whole-heartedly, Mercury tiredly said goodbye, walking slowly toward home. Moon, for her part, picked Luna up and headed off in another direction, but with the same purpose.

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Nephrite stood on a rooftop adjacent to what had been Jadeite's Shinjuku harvesting station, watching the numerous Terran police and rescue workers swarming through the formerly secure Dark Kingdom facility. A moment later, a man and a woman wearing paramedics uniforms appeared next to him in a flash of black power, and almost immediately, the clothing of both of the new arrivals shifted to the ubiquitous grey uniforms normally worn by high-ranking officers in the army of the Dark Kingdom.

"Damn it," growled Jadeite, his fists clenching and unclenching reflexively. "It's a total loss."

"Did the fail-safes kick in?" asked Nephrite, worrying about Dark Kingdom artifacts falling into modern Terran hands.

It was rather obvious that Jadeite didn't hear him, the negawarrior staring at the activity below with undisguised fury, but Akonei replied, "Yes, at least they worked properly. None of our equipment is left in there."

Nephrite nodded, relieved that at least there was some good news out of the catastrophe. The fail-safe constructs were designed to reduce any remaining equipment of Dark Kingdom origin to dust should no youma or negalyte be within the facility, after transferring any remaining lifeforce to one of the other harvesting stations, of course.

On the ground, police and paramedics were bringing a steady stream of former harvesting subjects out of the warehouse, and Jadeite, obviously still furious, turned toward Akonei, grating out, "We can't let this slow our time table, Akonei. Accelerate preparations for the next two operations. Get the nul-space field generator from R and D, and after setting it up, head over to that amusement park. We need to recoup our losses from this disaster. I'll handle the shrine myself."

Saluting, fist over heart, Akonei vanished in a flash of dark power, and Nephrite asked, "Jadeite, don't you think you ought to slow down a bit, consolidate your gains?"

"These moon bitches have gone too far, Nephrite," Jadeite growled back, his voice rising in volume with every word. "Not only have they managed to stumble onto every one of my plans, but now they have the audacity to attack one of my bases! I will see them DEAD!"

Nephrite sighed, knowing that in his present mood, the other dark general wouldn't listen. "Just don't get yourself killed in the process, Jadeite," said the brown-haired man in a resigned tone. "I've lost too many friends in the last twenty millennia."

The blonde general sighed, seeming to release some of his anger, and Jadeite's face was calm when he looked again at Nephrite. "Don't worry about me; I've executed more campaigns like this one than even I can remember."

Seeing his fellow general once again in a somewhat-calm mental state, Nephrite nodded to him before teleporting to the apartment he shared with Ranma, appearing in the small, tiled area adjacent to the front door, and he looked around for his apprentice, spying the pigtailed boy lying on the couch reading the Basic Constructs manual Nephrite had given him a few days earlier.

"What's up, sensei?" asked Ranma. "It don't look like anythin' good."

Surprised that the younger negawarrior could read his mood, Nephrite cocked an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

Eyes narrowing, Ranma answered, "Your aura's a mess. I can read that even if you keep your face calm."

"I see," replied the dark general. "Well, Jadeite lost a harvesting station today, and it's a pretty big blow to our cause."

"Chikuso," muttered Ranma, though Nephrite couldn't tell if he was damning the loss or his apprentice's failure to witness the battle. Dismissing that question, Nephrite settled in the chair across from the dark-haired neophyte negawarrior.

"Well, I guess we should begin your training for today," said Nephrite, and Ranma was instantly seated upright, his attention solely on the dark general. If nothing else, Ranma's zeal to learn something new always brought a smile to Nephrite's face, and without further distraction, he began to instruct his eager apprentice.

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After Nephrite vanished, Jadeite spent another ten minutes observing the activities below, working through his anger. If he was going to successfully execute his part in the next operation, the blonde general needed to be calm and act competently.

After a few more minutes, Jadeite finally considered himself calm enough to do what must be done, and the grey-clad man vanished from the rooftop, appearing a moment later in a small park in Juuban. Without even looking around, Jadeite walked out of the east edge of the park, crossing the street and beginning to climb the stairs leading to a certain Shinto shrine. To stay in character, the blonde man kept his eyes down, affecting a downtrodden, meek demeanor, and as he reached to top of the stone steps, Jadeite dramatized a large sigh.

An old man who had been sweeping the shine's courtyard looked up when the dark general sighed, quickly walking over to him. "What seems to be the problem, young man?" he asked in a caring voice.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," began Jadeite, "but I've come seeking an apprenticeship. My parents are dead, and my elder brother squandered my inheritance along with his own. Might I request your aid, merciful priest?"

Smiling at him, the old man handed him the broom, answering, "Of course, young man. In fact, you can start right now."

As Jadeite began sweeping, continuing where the old priest had left off, using his most grateful voice, he said, "Thank you so very much, master."

"Think nothing of it," he answered, chuckling. "I'm just glad to have a new acolyte; the workload here at the Hikawa shrine was a bit much for just myself and my granddaughter."

After watching him sweep for a few minute, presumably to make sure he was doing an adequate job, the old priest turned away and made his way into the shrine proper. Once the man was gone, Jadeite grinned triumphantly: it was another successful beginning to an operation. And this time, with his personal involvement, the operation would end successfully, too.

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Author's Notes:

I'm back! While I did post a new chapter to Three before this, the majority of my readers probably don't think of me as back until I post this, a new part for my most popular fic. Well, the long wait is over, so please enjoy.

Now, for the most controversial of the items in this new part: the level of viciousness expressed by the Senshi in their battles. While some of you might disagree with it, trust me: they will need it. It's all a part of the soldier mentalities I applied to their transformed states, and don't forget, they believe that they are fighting inhuman, evil, and equally vicious monsters. Regarding Mercury's Ice Hand spell, I think it is rather absurd for her not to gain an attack that actually causes damage until her second-tier spell, especially since I'm ramping up the level of violence in this fic. Add that to her genius-level intelligence and aptitude for magic, and it isn't that surprising that she could come up with a spell of her own pretty quickly.

Another point of contention might be that Mercury is primarily a temperature-manipulator. This comes from a standpoint in thermodynamics that explains how her powers work, and besides, there is already a Senshi of water.

For those who don't like how much damage Mercury took in the final battle of this part, I have one statement: I actually have a soft spot for poor Ami (evil grin).

On a linguistics side-note, I decided to make mana an energy not even fully understood in the Silver Millennium because of some research I did on the Hebrew language. Manna, in Hebrew, means literally 'what is it,' so I applied that meaning here to mana. Just don't argue that I'm not spelling it the same way, okay?

As stated above, this update also comes with a revision of all preceding chapters, so I would suggest rereading the previous parts of this fic.

Due to the level of violence, I'm increasing Negawarrior's rating to M. If anyone disagrees with this setting (or thinks it is not enough), please contact me.

I've lost touch with my prereaders somewhere along the way, so I'd welcome anyone who would like that position (especially the one's with whom I lost touch). Thank you for reading, and a special thanks to those of you who review. Later all.

Author's Notes after splitting the chapter in half:

This split is purely for continuity sake. I discovered that the next episode had a good stopping point right in the middle, just like this one did. I ignored said stopping point initially, but I've reconsidered. Also, you might note that each posting is now called an 'episode.' This is due to their somewhat self-contained nature, each having a climax (which an author is likely to do when posting single chapters at a time). In any case, when the next episode is finished, I'll also be reposting the split version of The Quickening Tempo of Combat as well.

Thanks for reading, C&C is always appreciated, and have a good one. Later.


	16. Chapter 3 E8: Trials by Fire P1

Negawarrior

A Ranma ½ / Sailor Moon crossover fanfic by jimra

Since we are fanfic authors, inherently, in our practice of this art, we technically violate the copyrights of legitimate, published authors, correct? So, it would not be remiss to borrow a disclaimer from a fellow fanfic author, would it? This one is borrowed from Lord Archive, the author of the very first fanfic I ever read:

Characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Video,  
etc..., and are used without permission. I'm only borrowing them. I'll  
return them. I can't afford the overdue charge Nabiki insists on.

Thank you, Lord Archive.

Also, of course, Sailor Moon is the property of Takeuchi Naoko, et al.

Chapter Three: Dreaming in Moonlight

Episode Eight: Trials By Fire (Part 1)

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Exhausted from the battle at the harvesting station, Usagi had headed for bed immediately upon arriving at her home, but Luna, since she hadn't fought, remained downstairs, intent on gathering information via the local news. Curling up on the floor in front of the couch, the black guardian cat rested her head on her forepaws, affecting a bored expression. It would be another five minutes before Usagi's father changed the channel, and the inane commercials were mildly annoying to her.

A hand briefly scratching her neck surprised her, but in a pleasant way, especially when she looked up. Ikuko was just setting a dish of cream on the floor before her, and Luna purred her approval before delicately beginning to consume the proffered liquid. Even if she wasn't really a housecat, she could still enjoy some of the finer things in such a cat's life.

Luna was almost halfway through her snack when Kenji flipped the channel over to the ten o'clock news, but the lunar guardian tuned out the initial offering of upcoming stories in favor of the delicious dish before her. In fact, she was so engrossed in her indulgences that she almost missed the very point of her attendance; thankfully, the news anchor managed to say something that piqued her interest.

"…story tonight comes from southern Shinjuku ward, where hundreds of missing persons were found in an abandoned warehouse. Minano-san?"

Luna listened to the reporter discuss the situation at what had once been a Dark Kingdom stronghold, basking in his unknowing praise of her charges. The fact that there had been no fatalities, at least in humans, only made her pride in the Senshi grow larger. Unfortunately, the anchor had more to say after Minano finished his report.

"In related news," the anchor continued in a business-like voice, "the nine o'clock bus on B line in Minato ward, Azabu Juuban district, mysteriously vanished after stopping at the Hikawa shrine. An estimated thirty passengers, as well as the driver, have not been seen since."

With a sinking feeling, Luna abandoned what remained of the cream in her dish, and the lunar advisor slowly made her way up to Usagi's room, knowing that the following day would be another busy one for her Senshi.

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Using an invisibility construct, Zoisite was still in the process of exploring the vast mansion to which the dedicated, though idiotic, Kuno boy had led him, looking for any sign of the ginzuishou. Despite the numerous traps, mazes, and toxic plants he had found within, there hadn't been any sign of the lunar focusing crystal, and the strawberry-blonde dark general was becoming frustrated. Honestly, what was the purpose of having a giant whirlpool under one's home, anyway?

Zoisite was about to abandon the effort as futile when he heard it, a laugh that was equal parts megalomanical hilarity and narcissistic revelry. Intrigued by the sound and remaining invisible, the effeminate negawarrior followed the laughter to a greenhouse he had explored earlier, which was now occupied by a teenage girl in a purple leotard embroidered with black roses.

Careful not to be heard, Zoisite crept forward, watching the girl's actions. Apparently, the girl was working with a chemistry set, possibly making some form of plant extract from the roses on the table next to her. Wondering what she could possibly be making from common black roses, Zoisite evoked several sensory constructs, only to receive a great shock. The girl was, apparently, using some low-level sorcery fueled by her own lifeforce to alter the compounds on which she was working, though the level was so low as to possibly be unconscious. Still, the spell was working, altering a nominally innocuous powder into a compound that would cause paralysis in anyone it touched.

This aptitude for sorcery, something that could even precurse a talent for construct use, got the wheels turning in Zoisite's head. Ever since Nephrite had arrived back in the Kingdom talking about his new apprentice, Beryl had given him unparalleled latitude in his work as a general, and that was something Zoisite would kill for. Not only that, but from what some of the dark general's spies, dormant possession youma in various human hosts, had reported, Nephrite's apprentice, this Ranma, was rapidly growing in power and skill. Perhaps, this girl could be his ace-in-the-hole, a player that no one else knew about. As he continued to watch the girl work, Zoisite continued to consider his options, and half an hour later, the blonde general had made his decision.

Quickly forming one of his own, tailor-made constructs, Zoisite struck quickly, paralyzing the girl and wrapping her mind in a compulsion construct powerful enough to control the strongest-willed individuals. Releasing his invisibility construct, the blonde general walked toward his thrall, who gracefully turned and knelt at his feet.

"Now, child," Zoisite said in a patient, almost kind voice. "Tell me about yourself, and we shall see if you are worthy of my teachings."

"My name is Kuno Kodachi, Master," answered the girl, her voice filled with artificial adoration, and as she continued, telling the dark general about herself, Zoisite couldn't help but grin. She would be perfect for his purposes.

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Ami had just reached the gates of Juuban Junior High, the following afternoon, when a cheerful voice called her to a halt, and the midnight-blue-haired girl looked over her shoulder to see Usagi racing to catch up with her. Smiling brightly, the sometime Senshi of Mercury greeted her friend, and Usagi responded in kind.

"Luna wanted to meet with us after school," Usagi stated and Ami fell into step with her. "She said that she saw something on the news last night that is probably another Dark Kingdom plot."

Ami nodded, replying, "They don't give us any breaks, do they?"

The blonde teen sighed, saying, "Nope. Now you see why I was so happy when you awakened."

The rest of the trip to the Tsukino home was made in silence, both girls pondering the depressing fact that their enemy never seemed to take a break. As they arrived, Ikuko greeted them warmly.

"Hello girls," said the blue-haired woman. "I just got back from the market; would you like a snack?"

Ami quickly preempted her friend, replying, "No thank you, Tsukino-san. We were just stopping by to get Luna before going to the park."

Despite Usagi's obvious wish to the contrary, the blonde agreed with her raven-haired friend, and scooping up Luna, who had chosen that moment to walk down the stairs, the girls departed, Usagi's mother cheerfully waving to them as they left. It took another fifteen minutes to walk to the park where Luna normally instructed them in magic, and as they entered the small copse of trees, the lunar guardian spoke.

"I'm glad you could get here so quickly," she began, worry evident in her voice. "Last night, on the news, I saw that a bus disappeared in Juuban, and you know that sounds like the Dark Kingdom's work."

Both sometime Senshi agreed, and Ami asked, "Where?"

"Near a place called the Hikawa shrine," Luna answered. "I think we should investigate the shrine; it could at least be a good starting point even if it isn't controlled by the enemy."

Agreeing, the girls set off for the shrine, Ami wondering what the Dark Kingdom had in store for them this time.

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Unazuki was smiling cheerfully, walking with her friends Ranma and Akane toward the Crown Parlor, the grin on her face from both the history test she had aced due to Ranma's tutoring and the fact that she didn't have to work today. Consequently, the three of them were planning to spend the day together, and the redhead had the perfect plan.

"Hey guys," she began, getting the attention of her dark-haired companions. "Why don't we go down to Cherry Hill Park today? The trees are all blooming, and I wanted to watch you two spar again."

Immediately, Akane brightened, and though Ranma appeared slightly apprehensive, he quickly gave in to his two female friends' enthusiasm. Excited, Akane immediately started chatting with Unazuki about martial arts, despite the redhead's lack of knowledge, so when they turned a corner and Ranma was nowhere to be found, it was quite a shock to the two girls. Rather than their mutual friend, a short redhead was standing ahead of them, her shirt dripping soapy water.

"Huh?" said Unazuki in a puzzled tone. "Where did Ranma go? And who are you?"

The shorter redhead opened her mouth, but Akane spoke first. "Oh, I know! You must be Ranma's sister! I recognize you from his description."

"I didn't know Ranma had a sister," the green-eyed redhead commented. "But where did he go?"

"He he," answered the blue-eyed redhead, sounding embarrassed. "Um, Masato needed Ranma for something, so I came to tell him."

"He could have at least said goodbye before he ran off," grumbled Akane.

"Um, it was an emergency," replied the new girl. "I'm Saotome Ranko, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you," said Unazuki, bowing politely to the newcomer. "I'm Furuhata Unazuki."

Akane bowed as well, saying, "I'm Tendo Akane."

"Yeah, my brother told me about his friends," replied Ranko.

"Oh," said Unazuki, quickly cheering up. "Well, since Ranma had to leave, do you want to hang out with us today?"

The shorter redhead brightened quickly, answering, "Sure."

"Ranma said you practice martial arts too," said Akane. "Would you like to have a match? I may not be as good as Ranma, but I still practice the Art."

Shrugging, Ranko nodded her assent, and the three girls began walking again, their destination the park just west of the Hikawa shrine.

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Jadeite was sweeping in the courtyard of the Hikawa shrine, clandestinely observing the visitors coming and going when his construct-enhanced senses picked up a source of negaforce approaching. Turning his attention to the steps leading up to the shrine, the blonde negawarrior's eyes widened when he saw a familiar redhead arrive, followed by two other girls.

"What is Nephrite's apprentice doing here?" the dark general mentally growled. "I don't need extraneous factors; this project is complex enough as it is."

"You're just as good as your brother," one of the girls with Ranma was saying, this one wearing a yellow gi. "I can't even hit either of you!"

The blue-eyed girl just chuckled, scratching her head beneath her pigtail in embarrassment. The other girl with Ranma, this one wearing a high school uniform, chipped in, "You're both really good! I can't believe you guys learned to do all that just with a lot of practice."

For the barest of moments, Jadeite hoped that Ranma wouldn't see him, but those hopes were dashed as the girl's blue orbs locked with his own eyes. Sighing, the dark general made the barest of motions with his head, communicating to Ranma to go toward a more secluded area of the shrine, and the redhead's small nod told him that she got the message.

Turning to her friends, Ranma said, "I want to take a look around the shrine since I've never been here before. I'll catch up with you guys here in a few minutes."

"Okay," answered the other redhead in the trio. "I'm going to buy a charm or two. You want to come with me, Akane?"

The raven-haired girl nodded cheerfully, and the two walked off while Ranma walked toward the area indicated by Jadeite, the blonde negawarrior following a moment later.

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Ranma was worried, with obvious reason: if Jadeite was here, then another harvesting operation must be in the works, and she definitely didn't want her friends getting involved again. After a moment of pretending to study the construction of the wall around the shrine courtyard, Jadeite approached, still sweeping with his straw broom.

"What are you doing here, Ranma?" asked the blonde dark general in a low tone, mild annoyance in his voice.

"I'm visiting the shrine with my friends," answered Ranma in an equally quiet voice, "just like any other normal teenager. What are you doing here?"

"Executing my mission of course," Jadeite replied. "This is a harvesting operation."

Ranma sighed; that was what he expected. "Listen, I need you to avoid trying to harvest from my friends, okay?"

"I can arrange that," said the elder negawarrior. "I assume you were referring to the two girls you arrived with?"

"That's them," replied Ranma, nodding. "What is your plan this time, anyway?"

"You don't watch the news, do you?"

"Nope."

Jadeite sighed. "We're behind the buses that have been disappearing. Since the Senshi destroyed the Shinjuku harvesting station, I'm trying to replace that stock. Did I hear right that you are taking the next bus from here?"

"That's right."

"Well," the dark general whispered, "then you'll be on a bus that 'vanishes.' I'll give you a token to show my youma on the bus, and she'll release you and your friends. Do you know a construct for rendering someone unconscious yet?"

Ranma shook his head, and Jadeite sighed again, quickly showing Ranma the pattern without powering the matrix. "Can you handle that?"

"Sure," answered the redhead, "that was actually pretty simple compared to the rejuvenation construct Nephrite's been teaching me lately."

"Alright then," the blonde negawarrior said, smirking, "here's the plan. Use a shield to block the draining construct once the bus leaves Terra, and then use the construct I just showed you to knock your friends out. That way, they'll be alright, and they won't find out anything about my plans. Don't worry, the sleep construct isn't painful."

"Nice plan," commented Ranma.

"You don't reach the rank of general by being a shoddy tactician, you know."

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Hino Rei, resident miko at the Hikawa shrine, was uneasy, a feeling that had begun the previous night when her grandfather, the shrine priest, had invited that wayfarer to stay at the shrine, and it had simply grown since then. Something about that man was just not right, but the black-haired girl couldn't put her finger on what that something was. Normally the empathy that went part and parcel with being a Shinto temple maiden was helpful, but it could be annoying at times, especially when she couldn't figure out what was wrong. Negligently brushing back her knee-length hair, Rei tried to focus on her chores, but the feeling continued to nag at her, disrupting her concentration.

Suddenly, the feeling of darkness spiked, and Rei gasped, her eyes snapping up to see a group of people at the shrine entrance. Three, two redheads and a girl with dark hair, were leaving, and two were entering the shrine, one with dark blue hair and one with blonde. Rei's eyes focused on the blonde, and she reached into her baggy white shirt, pulling out an ofuda between her right index and middle fingers. Racing up to the blonde, the black-haired miko called out her incantation.

"Rin pyou tou sha kai jin retsu sai zen Akuryou Taisan!" The spirit ward snapped taunt in her hand, energized by her ki, and she slapped it on the blonde girl's forehead, hoping that would banish the dark power she felt. Immediately, Rei realized her mistake, that the girl wasn't the source of the energy she felt, but it was too late. The blonde fell unconscious, barely avoiding a nasty head injury as the raven-haired girl at her side caught her.

"Why did you do that?" asked the girl who was still conscious, sounding both confused and angry.

"I'm sorry," Rei replied, feeling chagrinned. "I felt some kind of dark power, and I thought it was coming from your friend. I guess I made a mistake, since I don't feel it anymore and it doesn't feel like my ofuda is the thing that banished it. Come on; let's take her inside so she can rest. That ofuda should wear off in about ten or fifteen minutes."

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Ranma felt some trepidation as she boarded the bus behind her two friends; while Jadeite's plan was probably the best idea, she didn't have to like intentionally knocking her friends out. Unazuki and Akane took seats in the middle of the bus, and Ranma sat between Unazuki and the aisle, the seat being barely large enough to accommodate the three girls.

"I was quite a coincidence running into Usagi-chan and Ami-chan while we were visiting the shrine, don't you think?" asked Unazuki, to which Ranma shrugged, simply hoping the younger girls wouldn't get caught up in Jadeite's plan.

"Oh, that's right," the taller redhead continued, "you haven't met them yet, Ranko. They're second year Junior High students; your brother met them."

Ranma, not really paying attention to what the other redhead was saying, shrugged again, her real concentration on forming the anti-construct shield around her and her friends as the bus began to move. Once she'd formed the lines, the red-haired negawarrior powered the construct with annihilation energy, and she formed the new construct Jadeite had taught her, ready to put her friends to sleep as soon as the draining construct began affecting the other passengers.

Almost as soon as the bus left the curb, Ranma felt the driver concentrating negaforce in her aura, and a black rift opened in front of the bus. The other passengers didn't even have time to realize what was happening before the young negawarrior felt the tickling sensation of a draining construct being deflected by her shield, and as the other passengers began to fall unconscious from the ki drain, Ranma made her move, powering the new construct and applying it to her friends. Unazuki was out immediately, but Akane required almost fifteen seconds of treatment before she fell asleep. Ranma sighed, and after making sure all the passengers were out cold, the pigtailed girl stood, walking toward the front of the bus.

"Huh?" exclaimed the only other conscious being on the bus, the driver. "Why aren't you unconscious?"

"I'm Ranma, Nephrite's apprentice," answered the redhead, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the small black crystal Jadeite had given her. With a negligent flick of her wrist, Ranma tossed the stone to the youma in human form. "Jadeite told me to give you this when I got here."

The youma caught to stone easily, closing her eyes for a moment, and when they opened again, she asked, "Which two are under your protection?"

Blinking at the youma for anticipating her request, Ranma pointed out Unazuki and Akane. The youma nodded, saying, "Alright, you keep them unconscious until we offload the subjects, and then I'll drive the bus back to Terra."

When the youma said 'we,' Ranma finally noticed two other youma in human form entering the bus, these quickly and efficiently picking up unconscious humans and carrying them off the bus. Seeing that there was little for her to do, Ranma settled in to wait.

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Luna sat quietly beside her unconscious charge, the blonde teen lying on a spare futon in a guest room in the Hikawa shrine. After helping the mystically sleeping girl into the shrine, Ami and the miko, Rei, had left the room, talking. The small black guardian could just barely hear their conversation in the hallway, and sensing something similar to what she had felt from Ami before her awakening from the black-haired girl, Luna surreptitiously eavesdropped on their talk.

"What do you mean, you felt a dark presence coming from Usagi?" Ami was asking.

In an embarrassed tone, Rei answered, "Being a temple maiden and having Shinto training, I can sense strong emotions and dark or evil intentions. I'm still in training, so that's probably why I thought it was coming from your friend. Ever since last night, I've had an uneasy feeling."

The two girls moved out of hearing range at that point, and Luna contemplated the miko's words as a man with short blonde hair entered the room bearing a bucket of water. Looking at the man's face, the small lunar guardian could feel a certain uneasiness herself about him, his face seemingly familiar, but Luna couldn't remember where she might have seen him before. Either way, the man simply knelt beside Usagi, and pulling a cloth from the bucket and wringing it out, he gently placed it on the unconscious girl's forehead before silently rising and leaving the room.

Before Luna could return to her contemplations of the all the strange feelings she was having at the shrine, Usagi stirred, a small groan escaping her mouth as the blonde's eyes clenched before fluttering open.

"Ug," Usagi moaned before sitting up and looking around the room. Her eyes focusing on Luna, the sometime Senshi of the Moon asked, "What happened, Luna?"

"The miko at this shrine thought she felt dark power coming from you," replied the moon cat. "She tagged you with an ofuda, but it just knocked you out. I'm willing to bet the real source of the dark power she felt was that red-haired girl who was leaving when we arrived."

"Red-haired girl?" puzzled Usagi. "You don't mean Unazuki, do you?"

"No, the other one," answered Luna. "She was shorter, had blue eyes, and her hair was done in a pigtail. The last time you fought that ice woman, that same girl was just standing there watching the fight."

"I didn't see her then," the blonde replied, "but that sounds like a girl I saw killing a daemon last Sunday."

Luna mulled over that one for a moment, but before she could answer, Rei entered the room. Feeling that strange sensation again, the black lunar guardian studied the miko carefully, trying to discern if Rei was indeed another unawakened Senshi.

"Feeling better, I hope," the black-haired miko asked in an apologetic tone.

Smiling brightly, Usagi answered, "I'm fine."

Helping the blonde teen to her feet, Rei continued, "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay," forgave Usagi, and as the two girls walked toward the door, Usagi asked, "By the way, do you know anything about the buses that have been disappearing after this stop?"

The black-haired teen visibly bristled at the question, growling back, "The police have been by twice since last night asking about that. Like I told them, we don't know anything about that!"

Usagi put her hands up in a placating gesture, replying, "Sorry, sorry, I was just asking."

By that point, the two girls had passed out of hearing distance, and Luna realized that she was being left behind. After a moment more of contemplation, the moon cat made her decision, and performing her double-flip maneuver to access her subspace pocket, a red henshin stick fell to the tatami.

'Honestly,' Luna thought, now racing to catch up with her blonde charge and leaving the new henshin wand on the floor, 'I don't know why the subspace pocket designers used acrobatics as the key action to open my pocket.' She could almost hear the souls of those Silver Millennium developers laughing at their own joke.

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Ami had wandered into a more secluded area of the shrine while her friend was recovering, idly typing on her computer. It surprised the teenage genius that she wasn't really getting any negaforce readings from the shrine or the area around it, so Ami widened the search to include the whole of Minato ward. A moment later, the computer finished its cursory scan, surprising Ami by indicating that the largest source of dark power was actually coming from an amusement park called Dream Land, half-way across the ward. Keying the computer to make a more detailed scan of that area, Ami looked at her watch, surprised that she had been working on the computer for nearly half an hour. Turning back to the shrine, the raven-haired girl spied Rei, who had returned to her sweeping.

"Has Usagi recovered yet?" asked Ami, approaching the miko.

"Yes," replied Rei. "Actually, since we didn't see you, she headed for the bus stop. She said something about meeting you at the Crown Center."

Ami winced, and throwing a quick "arigatou" behind her, the young genius raced away, hoping to catch up with Usagi before she boarded the bus. Unfortunately, the bus was just pulling away from the curb when Ami reached the bottom of the stairs, and to the sometime Senshi of Mercury's horror, a black portal appeared before the bus, the mass conveyance vanishing into its shadowed depths.

Not knowing what to do, Ami pulled out her henshin stick and knelt, blindly pulling energy from her mana-bind and praying that Usagi would be able to return from where ever the Dark Kingdom had sent her.

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As the uneasiness she had been feeling all day still had not abated, Rei abandoned her sweeping, and thinking that perhaps she could find the answer in the sacred fire, the black-haired temple maiden walked into the shrine proper. As she passed the room where Usagi had recovered, a small object, about the size and shape of a pen, caught her eye, and Rei kneeled to pick it up.

'I guess that Usagi girl dropped this,' the miko thought, slipping the object into her pocket. 'I'll have to return it to her later.'

Continuing on to the center of the shrine, the large fire that had been burning for over two hundred years due to her ancestors' efforts, Rei's uneasiness became more pronounced. Finally, she knelt before the flames and arranged her robes, beginning her meditation.

"Oh sacred fire," the teen intoned, feeding a tendril of her ki into the flames. "Show me the source of my uneasiness and the dark power I've been feeling around the shrine. Answer my prayer and easy my mind."

At her question, the fire roared higher, and in the miko's mind's eye, she saw the face of the new acolyte. Rei gritted her teeth, thinking, 'I knew there was something wrong with him!'

Rising quickly, intent of telling her grandfather so that they could kick the man out of their shrine, Rei was startled to find him standing in the doorway, his face now looking like stone. Eyes widening at the dark power she could now sense in the acolyte, the miko tried to run away, heading for the other door in the room, but the man moved like lightning, grasping the collar of her robes and lifting her off the ground as though she weighed nothing.

"That's an interesting little sorcery you have there," the blonde grated out, "but it makes you too dangerous to have around."

Much to Rei's horror, a black rift opened to the man's right, and she tried to struggle out of his grip, desperately hoping to escape whatever terrors that lay beyond the shadowy portal, but his hand held her like a steel vice. With a flick of his wrist, Rei sailed through into the unknown.

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Usagi knew something was horribly wrong when the bus she was on entered a black portal, and when the other passengers began to collapse, the blonde teen knew that there was no time to lose. Opening the rear door of the bus, Usagi hopped down, and grasping her broach, she whispered, "Moon Prism Power, Make Up."

A quick show of light and power later, Sailor Moon stood ready to face any horrors that the Dark Kingdom could throw at her. Taking stock of her situation, Moon saw at least eight buses lined up in what appeared to be a bubble of Darkness, but every one of them, except the one on which she had ridden, seemed to be empty of passengers. Wincing at another perceived failure to protect people from the enemy, the lunar Senshi crouched, looking underneath the bus for whom ever was behind this trap, and she didn't have to look very far. Three apparently human women, one of them recognizable as the driver, were quickly carrying the unconscious passengers off the bus, each passenger vanishing after being placed on the smooth ground.

Moon raced out from behind the bus, shouting, "Bus are for moving people around the city, not for kidnapping them! I am the pretty soldier for love and justice, Sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

Ignoring the corny lines, the driver said, "Shit, not her! Corporal, go report to Master Jadeite!"

One of the other youma in human form replied, "Yes Captain," and vanished, but the other two held their ground, both transforming into their monstrous natural forms. The one referred to as captain gained a meter in height, her skin shifting to a nauseating yellow-green. The woman's eyes became solid red, and her hands were replaced with vice-like pincers. The other one actually shrunk, her back hunching and growing spines. The second youma's hands and forearms shifted form into sharp blades, and the lower portion of her face grew into a long, dog-like muzzle.

Before Sailor Moon could attack, the smaller of the youma jumped five meters into the air, the spines on her back suddenly launching at her, and the lunar Senshi frantically dodged the meter-long needles, managing to get away with only a few small lacerations from near misses. Performing a shoulder roll forward, Moon closed with the descending youma, launching a powerful uppercut into its gut as the beast landed. Even as her fist connected, Moon realized her mistake as the youma made a scissoring motion with her bladed arms, and the Senshi cried out in pain as her left forearm was sliced to the bone before she could retreat.

Tears of pain streaming from her eyes, Moon managed to dodge two thrusts from the creature's sword-like arms before a cry of fear distracted her. Even as her opponent managed to stab deeply into her left shoulder, Moon saw Rei fly out of a dark portal toward the higher ranked youma, and to her horror, the monstrosity snagged the black-haired teen out of the air by the neck, the vice-like appendage slowly closing, cutting off the captive miko's breath.

Forcing down the pain, Moon threw herself backward, shoulder rolling to gain distance while planning her attack. Before the blonde Senshi even regained her feet, her tiara was already in her hand, and with a cry of "Moon Tiara Action," Sailor Moon threw the disk of light at the offending appendage. Having no time to see what her weapon would do as the other youma raced forward to the attack, Moon desperately dodged, hoping that the black-haired miko would survive her encounter with the Dark Kingdom.

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Luna watched from the door of the bus, seeing Moon hurl her tiara at the youma that was trying to kill Rei before continuing to dodge the smaller monster. The black lunar guardian knew that the disk of light couldn't destroy an uninjured youma, but it was the only chance the miko had to survive the current situation. Luna almost cheered aloud when the tiara unerringly struck the youma's arm at the elbow, easily sheering it off. The youma cried out in pain as her arm was severed, falling to her knees and clutching at the wound with her other vice-like hand, but the flow of black blood spraying from the wound didn't seem to slow at all.

With the creature distracted, Luna raced forward, and casting a status spell, the moon cat quickly assessed Rei's condition. 'She's barely breathing,' Luna thought desperately. 'I'll have to work quickly.'

Casting a quick purification spell on the severed limb, Luna disintegrated the youma's dead flesh, and then she cast her most powerful healing spell on Rei, hoping against hope that the girl would regain consciousness in time to help Sailor Moon. A glace toward her charge revealed that the blonde superhero's battle was not going well.

Although her most powerful healing spell was weaker than the weakest of those used by Queen Serenity in the Silver Millennium, it was still sufficient enough to ease the half-asphyxiated girl's breathing, and a moment later, Rei's eyes fluttered open, a groan escaping her lips.

Not wasting a moment, Luna said, "Did you find the henshin stick I left for you, Rei?"

Upon hearing the cat talk, Rei's eyes widened, replying, "Did you just talk?!"

"There's no time!" the black guardian answered in an exasperated shout. "Do you have it or not?!"

Reaching into a pocket on her robes, Rei produced the wand, asking, "Do you mean this?"

"Yes!" the cat answered, speaking rapidly. "Now, just raise it above your head and call out what ever first comes to mind. Quickly!"

Looking dubious, Rei complied, and after she got to her feet, the black-haired miko lifted the pen high, calling out, "Mars Power, Make Up!"

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Rei thought that she was dreaming when the cat began to speak, and the surreal nature of the area, seeming to be a bubble of Darkness, just served to reinforce that assumption. Still, she could see a blonde girl fighting for her life against another monster, and the pain she could still feel from where the first daemon had been choking her lent a sense of reality to the situation, so the black-haired miko moved quickly.

Holding the henshin stick high over her head, Rei called out, "Mars Power, Make Up!"

For the briefest of moments, nothing happened, but then, in a spectacular burst of red light and power, Rei felt the transformation flow over her. Moving with the swirling energy, the miko felt her clothing disintegrate, replaced with a tight bodysuit and short skirt. She could feel the high-heeled pumps on her feet, and across her forehead, she felt the cold metal form of a tiara. The choker around her throat was a little much for the usually conservative miko, but the sheer feeling of the power now at her disposal made the black-haired teen ignore it. Finally, she struck a pose, taking in the scene before her.

Sailor Mars could see that the creature that had been trying to choke her to death was still on its knees, trying to staunch the flow of blood from its severed arm, so the newest Senshi chose to ignore that one in favor of helping the blonde Senshi. For some reason, seeing the other superhero bleeding badly while dodging the blade-armed youma's attacks made her blood boil with rage, and Mars raced forward even as she pulled a spirit ward from…somewhere and began chanting to charge it.

"Rin pyou tou sha kai jin retsu sai zen Akuryou Taisan!" she shouted, and as soon as the ofuda snapped taut, the black-haired Senshi flung it at the enemy. Once the ward attached itself to the creature's forehead, the beast froze, paralyzed from the mystic binding, and with the enemy frozen, Mars felt another power within her, crying out to be used to destroy this abomination. Without a second thought, the red-skirted Senshi clasped her hands before her, index fingers extended, and with a cry of "Fire Soul!" intense flames burst to life at the tips of those fingers, flowing forward in a spiral like burning napalm to blast into the daemon. With a scream, the flames overwhelmed the creature, and all that was left after Mars' attack was a small pile of ash.

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Captain Daiyokou was in a great deal of pain, considering her severed arm, and with that kind of distraction, she didn't look up until her subordinate's death scream pierced the haze of agony in which her mind was submerged. However, when that pain-filled yell caused her to look up, what she saw filled her with terror: there was a second Senshi standing near Sailor Moon, and it was not the one she had heard about in the latest briefing. And much to the youma captain's horror, both Senshi were now looking at her, and she could see her death in their twin gazes. Realizing that facing two Senshi in her injured state was a quick way to become a pile of dust, Daiyokou did the only thing she could: forming a teleport construct, the youma negawarrior vanished from the nul-space bubble, hoping to find a healer at the Juuban east harvesting station.

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Tuxedo Kamen relaxed as the injured youma vanished, happy that he would not need to help the Senshi this time. Replacing the rose he had been about to throw at Moon's opponent in his cloak, the tuxedo-clad superhero listened as the newly awakened Mars and the guardian cat both fussed over the blonde Senshi's injuries, the cat casting a spell to reduce the damage in Moon's nearly severed arm and pierced shoulder. Suddenly, a sense of urgency overtook him, and without understanding why, he knew that they had to leave quickly.

"Hey, Sailor Moon!" he called out, getting their attention. "We should get out of here before the portal closes!"

Suiting actions to words, Kamen immediately started the bus in which he sat, driving carefully through the shadowy rift, and once he returned to Terra, he felt a strange, light-headed sensation that always occurred when his job was done. Leaping out of the bus and to a nearby rooftop, Tuxedo Kamen left the scene, confident that the Senshi could handle it from that point.

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Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Luna, after making a quick search of the other buses in the strange bubble to determine that there were no other passengers, followed the bus Tuxedo Kamen was driving, leaving the dark bubble for the cheery daylight of earth. On the other side, Moon saw Kamen leaping away, but when she called out to him, he didn't slow. The second thing the blonde Senshi saw was Ami, kneeling with her eyes closed and sweat pouring down her forehead and cheeks, and she walked up to the girl, gently saying, "Ami, we're back now."

As soon as Ami's eyes opened, the black rift snapped out of existence, and Luna looked surprised, saying, "Ami, did you improvise a spell to keep the portal open for us?"

Looking exhausted, Ami nodded, trying to get to her feet, but the sometime Senshi of Mercury stumbled almost immediately, only avoiding a painful fall to the asphalt because Moon rushed forward to catch her. The dark-blue-haired girl smiled her appreciation at the blonde superhero, and Moon said, "C'mon, Ami; let's get you somewhere you can rest."

"Let's go back to the shrine," agreed Mars, moving to help Moon with Ami's weight. "You can use one of our guest rooms to rest."

"Just a moment, girls," said Luna in a cautionary tone. "You two should transform back to your normal forms before going in."

Looking chagrinned, both Senshi quickly released their transformations, reverting to Tsukino Usagi and Hino Rei, and Ami looked mildly surprised at the normal form of their newest compatriot, though she said nothing.

Slowly helping Ami up the steps, the three sometime Senshi returned to the Hikawa shrine for some well-earned and much-needed rest.

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It was chaos in the small village as a huge, rampaging boar charged through the streets, and the citizens of that village were running for their lives, a man in his mid-thirties clanging a hammer on the bell in the center of town to warn everyone of the danger. A young man wearing a yellow tunic and black pants walking calmly down the main road through town carrying a huge pack with a red bamboo umbrella strapped on top, however, surprised the man, and he shouted urgently, "Hey, kid! Look out!"

When the teenager didn't show any indication that he'd heard the man's warning, the man winced, muttering, "Oh man, that kid is dead meat."

Sure enough, the boar charged directly at the seemingly unconcerned boy, and the man held his breath, silently mouthing an old Shinto prayer for those doomed to die. However, a moment later, the boy reached up and pulled the umbrella from his backpack and spun, stopping the boar's charge by pressing the tip of the umbrella against its nose.

"He stopped a rampaging boar," the man whispered in utter amazement, "with a bamboo umbrelli?"

The bandana-clad boy, however, was obviously not done yet, and in one quick, smooth motion, he pulled the umbrella back and thrust it forward again, this time slamming the cone under the boar. One quick heave later and the boar was airborne, flying into the forest that surrounded the village, and with a contemptuous "humph," the now smirking boy turned away from his handiwork as the villagers all surrounded him, cheering. The man who had been ringing the bell stepped forward, asking, "Where'd yall learn ta do that?"

"its just martial arts," answered the boy, his tone making it clear that such things were easy. A moment later, the boy pulled a map from his pocket, and showing it to the grateful villagers, he asked, "Where is Juuban High School?"

The man studied the map for a moment before replying, "This is a map of Tokyo."

"Of course it is," the young man answered, sounding annoyed.

"But this is…Shikoku," said the puzzled man.

A look of depression settled on the boy's face, and he replied, "I see. Thanks anyway."

As he turned to leave, the man called out, "Wait! Tell you what, for saving the village and getting rid of that boar, I'll buy you dinner and a train ticket to Tokyo. How does that sound?"

The bandana-clad boy stopped and turned, his eyes shining with unshed tears, replying, "Doumo arigatou gozaimasu."

The man smiled brightly, saying, "No problem, youngen. Just follow me."

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Jadeite and Nephrite were discussing strategy at the Juuban east harvesting station's command center when the injured youma captain teleported in and collapsed, prompting both dark generals to go to her aid. While Nephrite quickly used a regeneration construct to hopefully stabilize the wounded youma's condition long enough to get a healer, Jadeite questioned her.

"Daiyokou, what happened?" asked the blonde negawarrior, and though Nephrite thought that the youma was too delirious from blood loss to answer, she surprised him.

"Master Jadeite," Daiyokou groaned out. "Another new Senshi appeared in the nul-space void."

With that, the youma captain fell unconscious, and a few moments later, an amorphous green youma arrived to begin the healing process. As the healer took over, Jadeite ordered, "Keep me apprised of her condition, Lieutenant Koshi."

"Yes, Master Jadeite," answered Koshi as she began using her pseudopods to coat Daiyokou's wounds with healing secretions.

Once Koshi moved the injured youma out of the command post, Jadeite turned to Nephrite, fury not focused on the brown-haired general on his face, and he growled, "Another one so soon?! How can this be happening?!"

"Relax, my friend," answered Nephrite. "You'll get sloppy if you don't calm down."

Taking a few deep breaths, Jadeite did calm somewhat, but Nephrite could still see anger in his eyes as he said, "You're right, Nephrite, but you're not the one whose subordinates are dying or whose plans are being destroyed by those damned Senshi."

"True," Nephrite sighed. "In any case, it's almost time for me to begin Ranma's lessons for the night."

"Very well," replied Jadeite. "I'll see you later."

Nephrite gave his fellow dark general a quick wave before teleporting to the apartment he shared with Ranma, thinking, 'Three Senshi already? I bet Queen Beryl will be calling me back to active duty soon, so I had better get Ranma another teacher for when I can't be there.'

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Author's Notes:

Well, a new update for negawarrior, and although it isn't as long as some of the previous chapters, it is only part 1 of Trials by Fire. I explained the changes in the Author's Notes in the previous episode, so I won't waste space here re-explaining my reasons for this new methodology. Sufficed to say, I'm hoping that this will allow me to publish new episodes faster. In any case, review and let me know what you think of it.

I'm sure someone will want to mention that Ryouga shouldn't be riding the train into Tokyo, but I just don't have the time in the fic to wait a week for him to show up, so this seemed like the most expedient and plausible way to get the lost boy from Shikoku to Tokyo in time to confront Ranma when I want him to do it.

Not much else to say, other than thanks for reading and please C&C. Later all.


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